When the Moon Shimmers
by You can call me Jenny
Summary: But of course. It had to happen. She should've known this all along. She should've known that he will, certainly become a deatheater one day. But it was too late now. She had deeply fallen in love with him and now, everything was out of her control.
1. Chapter 1

When the Moon Shimmers

Just like any girl, I used to dream a lot when I was young. Me & my sister, we used to dream together. But our dreams were always so different. She dreamt of being famous, popular, sought-after, whereas I dreamt of being beautiful, the most intelligent, & of a prince.

Even though the idea sounds so absurd now, but to me then (at 7) the idea of a handsome prince coming & taking me away on a flying carpet seemed wonderful. I always imagined a handsome prince coming for me, asking for my hand, & then, me & him flying away together. I never imagined anything after that, no marriage, no kisses, no children, no big happy family, nothing. I never thought beyond that. Though I was elder, my younger sister used to advise me 'These dreams are not dreams Jenny, they are just fantasy, and they won't ever come true!' To which I always used to retort 'Dreams are supposed to be fantasy, and never be true!'

'They do come true!'

'They do not!'

'Yes, they do!'

'Oh really? Tell me, which dream of yours has ever come true?'

At this, Gwen would always lower her voice 'I have only one dream, and you wait and watch, it _will _come true!'

Little Gwen was always right, dreams do come true, but only dreams, never fantasy. Though she was younger than me, she learnt this quite fast and dreamt a dream that could come true, whereas I nurtured a dream was bound to be shattered…………..


	2. Chapter 2

Hogwarts

Jenny was sitting in her room, reading her mother's copy of _Transfiguration_ _Today_, when she heard her mother coming up. There was a knock on the door and then Mrs. Jones entered 'Jenny, you have mail' She showed her a letter, and Jenny on seeing it, squealed. Snatching the letter from her amused mother, she ran towards her sister's room. 'Gwen!' Flinging the door open, she found Gwen lying on her back and levitating a pillow in the air. The pillow fell as Gwen spoke 'What?' Jenny held up the letter.

'It's from Hogwarts!' Gwen eyed the letter as if it had betrayed her and then the pillow rose again in the air 'Oh.'

Oblivious to her younger sister's disappointment, Jenny ripped open the letter and started reading in an excited voice '_Ms Jones, with great pleasure, we inform_ _you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of witchcraft&-_' the pillow was going higher and a slight scowl was forming on Gwen's features '_-wizardry. To attend_ _the school_ _you have to board the Hogwarts Express on platform 93/4 on September the 1__st__' _the scowl on Gwen's face deepened '_at 11'O clock. School robes are required. Broomsticks are not allowed to first years. Each student can bring-'_

'Now, now,' Gwen finally spoke.

Jenny stopped 'What?'

'We all know what McGonagall writes. It's not like she has something different for you.' The pillow was just an arm far from the ceiling. Jenny noticed the bitter tone.

'Are you jealous?' she asked.

Gwen gave a fake laugh 'Jealous? of you?'

'Seems like it.' Jenny folded her arms.

'You are wrong.' Jenny eyed her younger sister warily, and then left the room. As soon as she left, the pillow fell on the floor with a soft thud & Gwen sighed.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

'What else, dear?' the lady at the counter asked.

'That's all, I think' Mrs. Jones said, more to her daughter than the lady.

Jenny smiled 'Yes, that's it.'

The lady smiled in return 'Okay, here you go.' And handed her a blonde owl.

Mrs. Jones turned to her second daughter 'and you, Gwen, do you also want a pet?'

Gwen, who was staring at her socks, shook her head. Jenny frowned at her sulking sister but Mrs. Jones smiled.

'Okay. Here are your eight galleons, forty-five sickles.'

As they exited the shop, Jenny peered at the list in her hand 'I've got robes, books, a pet, now all that is left is, a wand.'

'Why don't you buy yourself a wand?' Mrs. Jones said, giving her twenty galleons.

'Me?' Jenny asked

'Yes, and in the mean time' Mrs. Jones took Gwen's hand and smiled 'me and Gwenie will be at Florean's enjoying her favourite flavour of ice-cream.'

When Jenny entered the musty shop of Ollivander, she felt scared and unsure of herself. The counter seemed deserted and the shop was empty except of two boys standing and laughing at some joke. The boys stopped laughing as she entered. For a moment, Jenny stood rooted on the spot, but then steeled herself and walked to the counter and rang the bell.

'Coming!' came Ollivander's voice from somewhere in the back of the shop.

Jenny glanced at the boys. One of them was staring at her. She looked away.

'You're going to Hogwarts?'

Jenny turned. It was the same boy who was staring at her. She nodded.

A smile broke across his face 'I'm David Abbot. Third year.' He said as he shook Jenny's hand. 'You're a first year?' She nodded again.

David smiled again as he withdrew his hand. For a moment, there was silence then David spoke 'Well?'

'Er, well what?' Jenny spoke for the first time.

'Aren't you going to introduce yourself?' The boy behind David grinned.

Jenny felt herself blush 'Er' she started 'I am Sa-'

'There you are, boys!' a voice rang out and Jenny jumped. A second later, a lady was standing next to her, holding a large carpet bag. 'Why in the name of Merlin, you left the shop without telling me!'

'Um,' David started but was cut off in the middle by her 'Never mind, never mind. Your father is looking for you, come on!'

'But what about my wand?' the second boy asked at which she raised her voice 'Mr. Ollivander! We're in a hurry! We'll come back later for our purchase!'

'As you wish, Mrs. Abbot!' Ollivander shouted back.

Seizing the second boy from the shoulder Mrs. Abbot shepherded him out of the shop 'If I had my way, I would send you to Hogwarts with the same, broken wand, it would be good for you, and you'll learn a lesson...' David followed, but stopped at the doorstep 'Hope to meet you at Hogwarts' he said before going after his mother.

Just then there was a sound of someone falling down. Jenny heard Ollivander groan and few moments later, he appeared, brushing dust off his shoulder. 'Fell down the stair. It's going rickety, not so sturdy as it was once, seems like the charm is wearing off, but not to worry.' He said to her as if she had been worrying. 'Now, Ms, show me your wand arm.'

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

'We are late, mumma.' Jenny said for the third time as she boarded her trunk on the trolley. ' I think I am not going to make it.'

'I have already told you, we are not late!' Mrs. Jones assured her daughter, somewhat irritably 'And you _will _make it!' She followed Jenny into the barrier.

And there it was, the Hogwarts express, belching smoke, getting ready to leave.

'See?' Mrs. Jones said. But Jenny was already running. She quickly reached the train, unloaded her stuff, and turned to her mother, who had just reached her, and was panting slightly.

'Bye, then' she hugged her mother. Mrs. Jones gave her a kiss. 'Don't fall into any trouble, be good, and write to me if you need some thing.' Suddenly, Gwen burst into tears. Pushing her mother's hands aside she flung hers at Jenny. 'Promise me you'll write to me.' She said between her sobs. 'You'll write about everything, every week, promise me!'

'I promise!' Jenny answered. As she disentangled herself from Gwen's clutches, Jenny saw her mother wipe her eye. 'Mumma!' she hugged her again. 'Daddy is very, very sorry, Jenny that he could not come to see you off. He asked me to tell you that he will miss you.' The doors started shutting. Jenny jumped on the slightly vibrating train and shut the door. 'Never mind.' She said from the window. 'Tell him I love him and-' the train had started gathering momentum '-write to me only on Saturdays and Sundays.' 'Why?' Mrs. Jones asked, who had now started jogging to keep pace with the train.

But Gwen did not let her answer 'Don't forget the promise!' she screeched, jogging alongside her mother now. The train gathered more speed. Mrs. Jones stopped 'I love you.' She called to Jenny, but Jenny was too immersed in her sister's words to pay attention to her mother.

'Jenny,' Gwen was running along the train now 'I have never said this to you but-'

'What? Didn't hear you!' Jenny yelled over the din of the train.

'I WILL MISS YOU!' Gwen shouted.

Jenny, on finally hearing her, smiled and waved for the last time. She kept on smiling at her sister who was getting distant by the second until the train turned a corner and she disappeared.

'Do you plan to stay here?'

Jenny stopped leaning on the door and turned back. Two raven-haired boys were staring at her. Before she could speak, the front one whipped out his wand.

'If I were you, I would not be here.'

She eyed his wand 'Er, why do you have your wand out?' The boy ignored her question and moved forward, his hand tightly around his wand.

'Hey!' Jenny panicked. Who was this guy? She didn't even know anyone! And how was she supposed to defend herself! She didn't even have her wand!

But the boy simply passed her, heading towards the door behind her back. The second boy also moved after him, whispering to Jenny 'No need to be scared, just go find yourself a compartment and _Sirius, wait_!' But the boy named Sirius had already opened the door of the bathroom, revealing another boy and a girl inside.

'Aha!' Sirius yelled joyously 'I thought so!'

'Black!' The boy yelled in response and the next second, Jenny was pushed out of the way by the other boy as Sirius yelled '_Tarantallegra!_'

Jenny sprinted away. Finding the first compartment she reached, she flung it open and rushed inside.


	3. Chapter 3

The Sorting

As soon as she slammed the door shut, a voice rang out "Something the matter?"

Jenny turned to see a red-haired girl staring at her concernedly.

"Someone's duelling out there." She answered.

"Duelling?" the girl repeated, getting up and moving towards the glass door, to peep outside "I bet it is...Potter and Black" she finished on a low note. Jenny heard a distant yell of "_expelliarmus!"_ before the red hair banged the door shut (quite loudly, for that matter) and came and sat down at her seat with a frown on her face. Jenny got the impression that she didn't like 'Potter and Black'

Just then a boy spoke from Jenny's right "_They _are duelling, why _you_ have got your knickers in a twist?"

Jenny jumped at his voice; she had not noticed him sitting there. But before she could speak, the red hair did.

"Oh, come on Sev! She's probably a first year who saw Potter and Black's stupid antics for the first time and panicked!" Sev humphed and turned away to the window. The girl gave him an annoyed look before smiling at Jenny.

"Why don't you sit down?" she gestured at the seat beside the boy. Jenny immediately did.

"I am Lily Evans." The girl introduced herself "and this-" she pointed at the boy "is Severus Snape." Jenny smiled at Lily and at the side of Severus Snape's face (who had not looked around at his name)

"Samantha Jones" she said, wringing Lily's hand "but you can call me Jenny"

At her surname, however, Snape faced her "You are the daughter of the auror Jones?" he asked. Jenny nodded. At Jenny's nod, he simply turned back towards the window, his expression stoic but Lily was beside herself.

"Your father is an auror?" she asked in an awestruck voice.

"My mother is an auror." Jenny corrected her.

This excited Lily even more "Your _mother_ is an auror! Oh, how wonderful, having your mother as an auror! You must be-" but she broke off in mid sentence for a loud voice sounded just outside their compartment door.

"Is she there?" Someone responded back from the distance "No"

"You should have seen where she was heading to, or else chucked her stuff after her!" the loud voice outside their compartment said.

"How could have I? You opened fire too soon!" the other voice yelled back

"Yeah, well, I wanted to catch Mulciber in the act."

And the compartment door slided open and everyone turned at the person standing there. Even Snape, who had been ignoring the voice up till now, looked at the doorway.

"Well, well, well." A handsome black haired boy was standing there. It was the same boy who had asked Jenny to leave earlier.

"What is it Black?" Lily asked, with a hint of budding anger in her voice.

The boy ignored her and called to someone behind his back " JAMES! There is someone here that will interest you!"

The reaction was immediate. Lily and Severus whipped out there wands and pointed it at the boy in unison, as if they had had a lot of practice of what they were doing.

"Ah…" The boy sneered at them, though he did not point his wand which he was clutching in his hand "Snivellus seems to have practiced."

Jenny could not understand whom he was taunting but Lily roared in a warning tone "Black!"  
Black ignored her again "Learnt a lesson, huh?" He said, with his eyes on Snape "To always be ready, for, who knows when another pie comes rushing towards you?" Snape still did not speak. He was staring at Black, loath written clearly on his face.

Just then, a boy appeared at Black's side.

"What were you shouting about Sir-Oh Hi, Evans!" James smiled at Lily. She ignored him. "Why are you pointing your wand-" his eyes moved over to Snape. "Of course." He finished, a delicate touch in his voice now.

Lily said again "What?"

But before James could say anything, Sirius turned towards Jenny (who was trying to look small and insignificant, and was cursing her luck at the prospect of another duel with her sandwiched in between,) "Why didn't you take your stuff with you?"

Jenny blushed as everyone looked at her. Lily seemed taken aback at Sirius's sudden question at Jenny.

"Er, I .. er, panicked." Jenny said, blushing even more, aware of the fact that Sirius was still staring at her, as if she had done something shameful.

"Do you know that it has a hole the size of a fist now?" He said further, as if it had been her fault.

"Yeah," James also contributed " and it is in no way _our_ fault." Jenny did not know what to answer to this. Both the boys were acting as if it was all her doing, she was responsible for the damage, as if she was the one duelling in front of the bathroom.

A moment passed in silence with Snape and Lily still pointing their wands at James and Sirius (though Lily's grip had slackened) and James and Sirius looking at Jenny, who was staring at the floor. Then, a boy passed from behind James and brushed against him slightly. " Sorry, mate." He said to James. Then, after glancing at the room inside, he smiled "The bathroom's empty, then?"

"Yeah," James smiled a triumphanant smile "No Mulciber."

"I heard he was in there with his girl friend?" the boy asked further, his voice shook slightly.

"Yeah," James replied " I took his photograph."

The other boy roared with laughter at this. " You took his photo!"

"Yes" Sirius also joined in "Soon you will see the masterpiece in the great hallway." The boy laughed along with them, clapped a hand at James' back and moved on.

As the boy left, Sirius leaned towards James " But I don't think his girl friend will appreciate!" They roared in laughter again.

As they were laughing, the boy who had just passed them, came rushing back with his hand pointing at Jenny.

"What happened David, why are you-" Sirius began but David shouted "YOU!"

Jenny looked up just in time to see David rushing towards her with Lily crying "Hey!", and next second, she was in his arms.

"Da-David!" she stuttered, blushing red.

"I was looking for you in the train!" said David "I was wondering where you were?" Behind his back, Jenny saw James and Sirius share a smirk. She blushed even more.

"Um, David? Will you please..?"

David, now a little pink in the face, released her and stepped back, still smiling.

"So, David!" James wrung his arm around David's neck "Care to introduce your good friend?" David became even more pink as he looked at Jenny, he did not know her name.

Jenny knew he didn't know her name. She spoke immediately "I am Samantha-"

"-Jones" Sirius finished for her while stowing his wand in his pocket.

"You also know her?" Lily asked, bewildered

"I know her mother" he replied "She's the auror Fiona Jones." He added, at James' questioning stare.

James and David both turned to Jenny, surprise written at their faces.

"Oh." James could only manage that much whereas David exclaimed "Wow!"

"Yeah, yeah, it is 'Wow'," Sirius said " but you see, we have to develop the masterpiece James photographed, so that we get to show you some 'Wow' stuff so," he waved his fingers at all of them " see you later." And beckoning at James he left.

James winked at Snape, and left. But as soon as he had, he came back " Hey Jones," he said to Jenny " your stuff is lying there in front of the bathroom door."

"Bathroom?" David said to Jenny before going after James. Jenny made to follow him, but he held his hand, "No, no, I'll get it ,you stay."

Jenny blushed again & turned towards Lily, who had a smile on her face and was now sitting like earlier.

"How come you know him?" Snape asked.

"We, we met at, Ollivander's" Jenny answered.

"This is the second time you have met him?" Lily asked

Jenny nodded, reddening at the thought she herself was pondering at that why did David hug her as if they were childhood friends?

Apparently, Snape had also been thinking that as he asked (with the sarcasm noticeable) "And he hugged you?"

"Sev!" Lily reprimanded him, although she also seemed to agree with him, "You should not speak like that! It's up to them, what they do…" Though she was trying to lessen Jenny's embarrassment, this sentence only increased it. Lily was speaking as if Jenny and David were a couple.

Jenny was sure her face was so red that it could have blended with the colour of Lily' robes when David appeared, panting.

"I have got it," He panted "seems alright, except for this sieged hole," he pointed at a hole in the trunk that was foaming slightly.

"Thanks, David" Jenny said, while opening the trunk. David watched her rummaging in the trunk for a few minutes and then opened his mouth " Um, Samantha? You know, you can also come with me," Snape snorted. "I mean," David corrected himself, now almost as red as Jenny "You can come with me to my compartment. I'll introduce you to my friends and there are two first years too."

Snape was smirking as Jenny glanced at him. "Yeah sure." She said, shutting the trunk after taking out her wand. Wishing Snape would stop smirking, she pointed her wand at her trunk "_Reparo" _the hole in the trunk vanished with Snape's smirk.

"You are good." Lily said from behind. Jenny turned and smiled at her. "Well, I'll say bye for the time being." Jenny said to her. She turned to Snape who was no longer smirking. She tried to smile, but failed miserably and turned towards the door.

David made for the trunk again. "No need." She said. And to his amazement, pointed her wand at her trunk for the second time and said "_Locomotor trunk"_

Snape's surprised face was visible to Jenny one last time before David slammed the door shut and came after her saying "You are bloody brilliant!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Andrews, Veronica!" Professor McGonagall announced the first name. A girl standing right infront of Jenny moved, so that suddenly, she had a clear view of the Headmaster Dumbledore. She stared at him for a few seconds without realising that _he was staring back._ Jenny pulled herself away from those bright blue eyes that seemed to go through her and focused at the girl who was now sitting at the stool with the sorting hat on her head.

The girl had nut brown hair tied in a tight pony that was providing the over-sized sorting hat some base so that the hat seemed to fit her head perfectly. The girl did not look scared or nervous like the other first years but on the contrary, she seemed sure of her self. She was sitting there, staring back at the Great Hall and not all feeling any fear or panick or anything that Jenny was feeling.

Instead, she was sitting there with a slight frown on her face, as if she found something odd in the view. Jenny chanced a glance at the headmaster, and immediately regretted it, for he smiled at her. _He knows._ She immediately focused back on the girl.

The hat seemed to be taking it's time. The other first years and the Great hall, also, had started whispering. As Andrews rolled her eyes at she only knows what, the boy beside Jenny whispered to someone "taking ruddy time, eh?"

The Andrews girl was staring at Professor McGonagall as if she was responsible for all the delay. Jenny noticed McGonagall staring back with an eyebrow raised.

Then, just as the sound of laughter and talk increased several decibels, the place just above the brim of the hat opened and the hat announced "RAVENCLAW!"

Even before the students had properly started clapping in return, and even before McGonagall had made for the hat, the newly christened-Ravenclaw slid the hat off her head, handed it to McGonagall, and without any further ado, joined the table where students sitting were mostly blue robed and were cheering the highest.

Jenny's stomach was rumbling. She wondered briefly whether she could have something to eat before being sorted. Her name was bound to come last; she had 'J' in Jones.

Though, a few minutes later as Professor McGonagall called "Jones, Samantha!"

She found herself wishing that she shouldn't have ever come at Hogwarts; the stare of the children was too much.

As she sat at the stool, with her knees suddenly too weak to take her weight, McGonagall kept the hat on her head, from where it slid down to her nose, several people laughed, and even before her face emerged from it, a second later, blushing red, the hat had shouted "RAVENCLAW!"

She sighed audibly and gave Professor McGonagall a grateful smile as she swept the hat off her head. Everything suddenly seemed wonderfully fine, she felt stupid now for have been worrying about nothing in particular. As she walked towards the same table where the Andrews girl was sitting, she saw David sitting on the next table, waving at her. She smiled at him in return before taking the seat beside Veronica, who was now laughing along with probably a third year. However, as Jenny sat down, Veronica quickly turned to her "You alright?" she asked

Jenny nodded. Veronica continued "you seemed pretty ill, sitting there" she pointed at the stool where a boy was sitting now.

"I felt ill." Jenny said, looking over the place. Her eyes wandered over to the Headmaster, he seemed immersed in talk with a small teacher on his right.

"That's Flitwick with Dumbledore." Veronica said, following her gaze. "He teaches Charms. Flitwick, I mean." She added, turning to Jenny.

"Listen," Veronica said. Jenny turned to her.

"I know your name already, but still;" She pushed her hand towards Jenny.

"I am Veronica Andrews. But you can call me Ronny."

Jenny smiled as she shook her hand "Samantha Jones."

Veronica waited. "And you can call me Jenny." Jenny said, smiling back.


	4. Chapter 4

**ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS "BORROWED PLOT" MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.**

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter _SERIES, AUTHOR-J K ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The First Week

"Get up! We'll be late! Oh, _where is my wand_?"

"I kept it in last evening, where is-Veronica! Get up!"

Jenny was having a hard morning. First of all, (according to her) she was late, second, her wand was missing and third, Veronica was not getting up.

As Jenny rummaged in her trunk like a furious niffler, Veronica rolled over.

"Veronica, GET UP! I'll leave you and go on my own if you'll make me late!" Jenny said, her hand halfway in her trunk.

"Oh, yeah, good morning." Veronica replied. For a few seconds, she watched Jenny score her trunk, muttering to herself.

"What are you searching for?" she asked Jenny.

"My wand!" Jenny replied, now completely eclipsed by her trunk.

"There is an easy way for it." Veronica said, while pulling out her own wand from under her pillow. "I have never done this before, but I have seen my mum do it, maybe it will not work the same way for-"

"_Just do it!" _Jenny hissed.

Veronica raised her wand to shoulder level, and said "_Accio"_

Nothing happened.

Jenny started muttering and again attacked her trunk with ferocious speed.

Veronica was looking at her wand as if something was wrong with it. "Peculiar, when my mum does it, it works for her."

"Of course it works for her," came Charlotte Wormwood's voice from behind the curtains around her bed, then, the curtains were swiped open and their fellow blonde Ravenclaw got out. "She's a fully grown witch," she said, while her eyes travelled over to Jenny "and you are only a first year."

Veronica felt insulted. "What d'you mean? Am I incapable or something?" she said, her eyebrows raised.

"She never said that!" Torien Gemini, the fourth Ravenclaw, came to Charlotte's help. "She said that you are not all that talented like your mother right now."

"And," Charlotte said, "This is a fourth-year spell. My brother told me." She added to Torien. The girls then left Veronica sitting there, to take out their robes from their trunks, laughing on a joke that Torien had just cracked. They did not notice the annoyed look on Veronica's face.

She was sitting there, with her face turning stony every second. She watched silently as Charlotte, still laughing at Gemini's joke, took out her tie and shut the trunk. Suddenly, Veronica jumped to her knees, pointed her wand at the tie Charlotte was holding, and cried "ACCIO!"

Charlotte and Gemini both jumped at her shout and not only the tie, all her robes flew out of Charlotte's hand towards Veronica.

"What the hell was this?" Charlotte demanded from Veronica who now had Charlotte's robes around her neck.

"This," Veronica replied, taking the robes off her neck "was to prove to you that I am not incapable."

"I never said that you were incapable!"

"You meant it." Said Charlotte, her neck completely robe free.

"You know what this means," Gemini butted in " this means that you are so stupid, that you can not even see what a simple sentence means!"

"And you know what this means," Veronica replied, her voice raising "This means that you are jealous of me!"

"Oh," Charlotte moved forward, clearly agitated, " shut your trap, and give me my robes!" Then, snatching her stuff from Veronica, she took Gemini, who still looked like she would stay and argue with Veronica, by her hand and both girls left towards the bathrooms.

"See, Jenny, now I can do Accio. We can easily find your wan-" her voice trailed away, when she noticed that she was the only one in the dormitory.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Why did you leave without me?" Veronica asked Jenny as she sat down in the seat next to her at their house table.

"What do you mean, 'without you' ? You never asked me to wait for you." Jenny replied spooning herself some flakes.

"I-" Veronica started, but shut up. It was true, she had not asked Jenny to wait for her. She had thought that it was an unsaid thing that they had to follow.

Just then, Charlotte and Gemini arrived on the table. Charlotte was ignoring Veronica, as was Gemini, though Gemini had a frown on her face.

Veronica, not to show the pair of them that she was alone, hastened to talk to Jenny.

"So, Jenny," she said, while reaching out for the boiled eggs " what do we have first?"

"Transfiguration."

"And then?" Veronica asked further.

"Then Potions, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts-" Jenny reeled on.

"Hi, Samantha!" David Abbot had found her and had now sat down between her and Veronica.

"Hi" Jenny replied, blushing a little. Looking around, David's eyes found Gemini. "Hi, Torien." Gemini smiled back.

"Where is Timothy?" she asked him. Veronica gagged on her juice. _Timothy?_

Thumping Veronica on the back, (though he did not know her) David replied "He's sitting there at the table with Lupin." Gemini, who had understood that Veronica had gagged on her brother's name, flashed her an angry look.

"Thanks," Veronica said to David "but who are you?"

"David Abbot" he said, pushing his hand forwards.

"Veronica-" she began but David cut in between.

"-Andrews, I know, you are the one who created a record sitting under the hat full five minutes."

Veronica smiled, "Yeah, the hat and I were debating"

"Debating?" Jenny asked.

"Yea, it was not happy with thoughts that I was thinking at that time." Veronica replied, buttering herself some toast.

"And, what were you thinking?" David asked, but at that very moment, the bell rang.

"Oh!" Jenny sprang to her feet immediately. "Get up!" she said to Veronica who was still nibbling on her toast.

"Okay, okay!" Veronica, the toast still in her hand swung her bag on her shoulder and made to follow Jenny. "But wait," she said, stopping Jenny by the arm "where are you going? Do you even know the way to Transfiguration?"

"Oh, we'll find it somehow..." Jenny said lamely, she had not even thought about the way to Transfiguration, all she was concerned was reaching there in time. Now she thought of it, how the hell they will reach there in time if they did not even know the way?

"I know the way!" David said, looking at Jenny "I'll show you!"

Veronica said "Great!" and David made for his house table to pick up his bag, but Jenny seemed unsure of the idea.

"What about your class?" she asked David as he approached them swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"I have Defence Against the Dark Arts, it's nearby, it'll be no problem, now come on."

Following him, they joined the throng of students already piling to leave, at the doorway of the Great Hall.

……………………………………………………………………………………...

_Dear Gwen,_

_I am missing you very much here. I keep thinking that it would have been so good if you also would have been here with me, like some other brothers and sisters of some of my fellow students. But never mind, in a'few years, you'll also be here._

_I have not made many friends, just a few. There is this Veronica Andrews, she is in my year, Charlotte and Torien, they share the dormitory with us, (though Veronica doesn't like Torien) Sienna Dearlove, she's in my year, but in Gryffindor, and then there is one David Abbot, he's a third year Gryffindor; I had met him at Ollivander's._

_The best subject that I found was transfiguration. Professor McGonagall is strict, but she teaches well. Veronica disagrees, she finds the subject as well as the teacher boring. I think she has started disliking McGonagall._

_The other teacher that I liked was Professor Slughorn, he's always praising me in the class. D'you know he has also taught mumma and papa? Keeps telling me that I am equally talented as my mother at Potions, oh yes, he teaches Potions, I never told you that. Veronica is also good at Potions and he praises her too, but she still doesn't like him much. She says that he should start a drama club instead of teaching Potions. Speaking of clubs, Professor Slughorn even has one, David told me it's called 'Slug Club'. He also says that I will soon be receiving an invitation to join the club._

_There are some other things too that I would like to tell you. There are two boys here, (mainly) James Potter and Sirius Black. Mumma knows James Potter's father, he works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I am not sure about it, David told me. Well, speaking of James Potter and Sirius Black, they are complete messing morons. Though they are not alone most of the time, there are two other boys with them too, some Lupin and Pettigrew, but mostly it is them who mess around._

_I don't like them. Every time I have seen them, they are poking fun at someone. David told me they like to humiliate Snape the most, you know Severus Snape? I mentioned him in my previous letter. On the contrary, David and Veronica like them a lot. David is their batch mate and friend, and like Veronica, he finds them cool. James Potter is incredibly popular , because he's also a very good seeker for Gryffindor, or so David tells me. I would find out soon, the first quiditch match of the season is just two weeks ahead._

_I'll write to you later, David is coming. I had promised to meet him this evening. I'll wait for your letters tomorrow morning. Give my love to mumma and papa._

_Love, _

_Jenny _


	5. Chapter 5

**NO PART OF THIS "BORROWED PLOT" MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR**.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE **_**Harry Potter**_** SERIES, AUTHOR-J K ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND WILL IN NO WAY** **VIOLATE THEM**

………………………………………………

THE INVITATION

Jenny, Sienna and Veronica were lying on the grass, under the beech tree at the lake's end. Jenny was gazing up at one of the branches of the tree, a canary yellow bird sat twittering there, and Veronica and Sienna were talking to each other and giggling from time to time.

Just then, Jenny's view of the twittering bird was obscured by David's face.

"Hi" he said, offering her his hands, taking them, she sat up. Veronica and Sienna stopped giggling and sat up on their own.

"Hi, David." Sienna said, Veronica smiled a sly smile at him.

Smiling at them in return, he sat down. Jenny had resumed her gaze of the bird.

"Where are you coming from?" Sienna asked, noticing that he looked tired.

"I was searching for my permission slip."

"What slip?" Jenny asked immediately.

"Permission to go to the village Hogsmeade," Veronica replied "signed by the parents or guardian."

Jenny was looking worried, "But I wasn't asked for any permission slip to visit any place..."

"That's because you won't be visiting any," Veronica replied again in a bored voice "only third years and above are allowed to visit."

"How do you know so much about it?" Sienna asked her

"My mother told me." Veronica said, the boredom in her voice more pronounced "I have known all this since the age of five"

"Your mother was in which house?" David asked

Veronica lay down on the grass again "Gryffindor"

"But why are only third years and above allowed to visit, why not us also?" Jenny asked David.

"I dunno…" he said "but if you want to come, then I can do something."

Veronica sat up immediately as did Sienna, who was watching the conversation with her elbows resting on the ground.

"What will you do?" the three of them asked at the same time.

"I won't do anything" he said, amused at their reaction "I'll just ask James to do me a favour..."

"Which James?" Jenny asked immediately.

"Potter, of course," Veronica said, looking at Jenny as if she had said something stupid.

"How come you know that he'll be able to help you?" Jenny asked David ignoring Veronica's "able to?!"

"He said it to me himself, that if I have lost my slip, he can still guarantee my trip."

"How do you know that it is not a trap?" Jenny said, a slight frown on her face "to humiliate you, to make fun of you, like they keep doing from time to time with others?"

David understood that by 'others', she meant Snape.

"Listen, Snape is a unique piece, you don't know him, you have never had him as your batchmate, have you? I know Snape since the last three years and he is-"

"But still," Sienna interrupted "even if Snape is very snobbish, he doesn't go searching for Potter and Black to humiliate them!"

"You don't know him, he is very bad," David was trying hard to prove his point "he hangs out with Mulciber and Avery, and they are very bad, if you get what I mean, you know, they keep rebuking muggleborns and last Thursday, Mulciber and Avery tried to choke Mary McDonald by her tie and-"

"Isn't Mulciber the one with whom Potter and Black were duelling outside the bathroom door on the train?" Jenny asked

"And whose photograph along with his girlfriend in a bathroom hung on the Slytherin hourglass two days back?" Sienna asked

"Yes, that's the one." David replied, smiling at the memory.

"Stop all this!" Veronica said suddenly. All of them looked her.

"We were not discussing Mulciber and Snape, we were at how to get to Hogsmeade!" She said, looking around at Jenny and Sienna, as if reprimanding them for changing the topic.

"How to get to Hogsmeade!" Jenny said, astonished "we never said that we wanted to go to Hogsmeade!"

"But you asked why you weren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade!" David accused Jenny, a little bit of disappointment dropped from his voice.

"That is it, isn't it?" Sienna answered "She only asked _why_ only third years and above are allowed to go, she never said that she wanted to go too!"

"But, but it, if .." David spluttered "What if James has a way through which one can go to Hogsmeade, even if you are not a third year?"

All of them fell silent at this. Veronica looked positively thrilled at the idea, excitement was already visible in her eyes, Sienna kept looking at David as if expecting him to say 'just kidding!' as did Jenny, who was staring at the lake with a full grown frown.

"I won't go even if he has." She said finally, turning her face to look at David who looked clearly disappointed "I don't trust anything related to James Potter."

Veronica, who looked scandalised opened her mouth but Sienna started first "And, David, we are not even allowed. And it will be very bad indeed if someone caught us, after all we are only in first year."

"Exactly" Jenny said but Veronica looked shocked at Sienna's word "Sienna!" she said to her "I thought being in Gryffindor meant that you have some nerve and you are daring!"

"And I thought that being in Ravenclaw meant that you are intelligent and will not do anything stupid." Jenny said

"Anything stupid!" Veronica's voice increased "This not any stupid thing, trying to go to Hogsmeade, its splendid, the idea itself! And you are calling it stupid! Have you ever-"

"Veronica, calm down!" David said, trying to keep her from fighting Jenny "May be Jenny is right! How do we know that James was telling the truth?"

"James Potter is incredibly cool," Veronica said, her face now defiant, "and I believe that if he says something, he is **not **making any tall claims!"

"Thanks a lot!" a voice rang out, and they all turned in its direction, to see who it was.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were coming towards them.

As they reached them, Black, with his hands deep in his pocket, smiled his handsome smile "Seems like you have a fan here, Prongs." He was looking at Veronica who looked at him once in confusion at the name 'Prongs' then switched her gaze to Potter.

"How come I have never seen you in the common room?" Black asked, now looking directly at Veronica in the eye. Jenny turned away, she found it very uneasy to talk to someone if they were looking at her in the eye. Veronica, however, looked back at him.

"Which common room?" she asked

"Gryffindor, of course!"

"That's because I am not in Gryffindor." And then, before anyone could say anything, James Potter turned to Jenny.

"Evans is looking for you." He said

"Who's Evans?" Veronica asked at the same time when Jenny asked "Why?"

"Don't know" Black said, his eyes now pouring into Jenny's (who immediately averted them) "She didn't tell."

Sienna, who was watching Lupin, turned to Jenny at this.

"Let's get going then?"

"We should" Jenny said in a quite voice while picking up her bag, she could feel Black's eyes on her. But David cried suddenly (looking at Jenny), "No, wait! I haven't asked what I was here for!"

Everybody looked at him. "What is it?" Jenny asked, swinging her bag on her shoulder.

"Tomorrow is Sunday, and it's a Hogsmeade weekend," David said "and you haven't told me what can I get you?"

The effect was instantaneous. Potter and Black smirked at each other, Sienna smiled, Jenny blushed, and David started spluttering.

"I mean,.. I meant to say .. Only that you, I mean, all of you.."

"You don't have to get me anything." Jenny said, speaking to the grass blades around her foot.

"No, I want to , I mean , I should.. you've never had butterbeer and.."

"No it's okay, thanks-" Jenny answered but was cut off by Veronica.

"Oh, cut all this crap short." She said, looking at Jenny and David "here," she took out her money pouch and handed a few gold coins to David "even if she doesn't want, I want. Bring me few butterbeer bottles, some chocolate frogs, and some quills!"

"But-" David began, looking at Jenny but Veronica was already steering away from him.

"Why were you blushing as if he was asking you out on a date?" Veronica asked Jenny when there was considerable difference between them and the boys. Jenny said nothing, but blushed harder at the idea of David asking her out on a date.

"Oh well, it's only a matter of time." Sienna said, smiling at Jenny

"What is a matter of time?" Veronica asked

"Sooner or later, he **will** ask her out." Sienna said

"How do you know?" Jenny (inspite of herself) and Veronica asked in unison.

"It's quite obvious, isn't it?" Sienna said, smiling again.

"What is obvious?" Veronica asked, but Jenny did not, she thought she knew what was coming.

"He likes her, stupid!" Sienna answered, laughing at Jenny's face that resembled a tomato in colour.

"Oooh, Daveee likes Jenneee" Veronica sang at Jenny who blushed even more, and muttering something about "Lily's looking for me.." sped up to leave them behind. Veronica and Sienna followed, giggling and whispering among themselves. She had not even gone more than ten steps when a voice called "Samantha!"

She turned to see Lily rushing towards her from the end of the corridor.

"Oh, I have been looking for you since evening, and it's really time…"

"What is it?" Jenny asked as Veronica and Sienna also came and stood beside her.

Lily held out a purple coloured paper tied with a silver ribbon. "Its an invitation. From Slughorn." She added to Sienna. Jenny opened it at once, she liked Slughorn.

"Are you Evans?" Veronica asked abruptly

"Lily, Evans" Lily replied. Then turning to Jenny said "Okay, be there on time, and there's not much left, so I'd better hurry off.." She waved once and left.

"You'll go?" Sienna asked Jenny, she had also read the invitation.

"Go where?" Veronica asked, after watching Lily turn and disappear at the end of corridor.

"He has invited me to dinner today." Jenny said, waving the purple coloured paper. "Knew you'll get that." Veronica replied, eyeing the paper with disgust.

"You'll go then?" Sienna asked again

"Seems like it"

"Okay, then, Goodnight." She said, taking Veronica's hand in hers.

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked

"Great Hall" Sienna said, and "Good night!" Jenny called at their back.

Turning in the opposite direction, towards the Ravenclaw Tower, she read the invitation once again. It said she had to be there by 8'O clock and only half an hour was left.

Smiling to herself, she pocketed the paper and broke into a run.


	6. Chapter 6

**NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF AUTHOR.**

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

**THE FIRST FIGHT**

It was charms, the last class of the day. Professor Flitwick was walking among the students, here and there giving advice. On the front-most seat of the class, right before the teacher's desk, sat three girls, two of them idle. The one sitting in between was frowning and waving her wand at a lock in front of her.

"So, what does Sluggy have for Christmas?" Veronica asked Jenny

Jenny shot her an annoyed look "Veronica, he's _elder_ ….and he's our _teacher_…"

"I think it must be another party." Veronica continued, as if Jenny had not said anything "And I'm sure this would be some big party, not like the usual ones he keeps throwing, but no less dramatic... after all, this is Sluggy."

"Please," Jenny said, her eyes on Sienna's wand movement "his parties are not dramatic, and stop calling him Sluggy."

"AlohoMora!"

"No other word suits him like Sluggy," Veronica replied, her eyes on the lock infront of Sienna "and you are right, his parties are not dramatic, infact, they are melodramatic."

Jenny gave Veronica a reproachful look, but said nothing.

"_AlohoMora!"_

The lock infront of Sienna opened with a click and Sienna squealed with delight.

"When is it?" Veronica asked Jenny

"When is what?"

"The party!"

"Oh," Jenny said "I don't know, I missed the last dinner, had to complete the herbology assignment –"

"It's on twenty first, the night before we leave for the Christmas break." Sienna said abruptly.

Jenny and Veronica stared at her.

"How do you know about it?" Veronica asked, her expression curious as well as sceptic.

"Um, er," Sienna was blushing "guests are allowed this time, and um, I , I've , I've been invited."

Veronica looked amazed, Jenny pleasantly surprised "By whom?!" she asked Sienna.

"It's, it's …Timothy" Sienna said, blushing even more.

There was a second's pause. They heard Flitwick say to someone "Don't _jab_ your wand!" Then Veronica said in ridiculing voice "You are going with Gemini's brother, _Timothy_?" Sienna nodded.

Veronica burst out laughing. Sienna blushed red, and Jenny sent Veronica another reproachful look "What is so funny about that?"

"Timothy!" Veronica said, between her laughs "She's going with Timothy! _Timothy!_"

"Keep your voice down." Sienna said, looking towards Gemini who was sitting three desks after them.

"Couldn't you have got anyone else?" Veronica asked, coughing herself back to normal

"I didn't _get_ him, _he_ invited me, and besides that, I wanted to go-" Sienna said angrily but was cut off by Jenny.

"How do you know him?"

"He's in my house, and he's in second year, he was the one who taught me how to play gobstones, and sometimes we sit down and play and-"

"You've never played gobstones with us." Veronica interrupted

"That's because, because, _we are not in the same house_!" Sienna said, her face starting to redden as her anger increased "These kinds of things are done with house-mates, after classes or dinner, you two-" she pointed an angry finger at Jenny and Veronica "-stay bunched up together, in Ravenclaw common room and _I_-" she jabbed a finger at herself "have to stay alone at _my_ common room, and now you're getting jealous that I have a friend other than you, and that he has invited me-"

"I am not jealous!" Veronica said, her voice sounding as angry as Sienna's

"Then you are mocking at me!" Sienna's voice increased "All this _Timothy-Timothy_, it shows that you were mocking me!"

"Sienna calm-" Jenny began but was cut off angrily by Veronica.

"I was not mocking! Why will I mock at you?"

"_Timothy, she's going with Timothy!, _what was that? You were mocking Timothy or me?!"

"Tim-how does Timothy come in here?"

"Oh yes, he does." Sienna's face was now shiny red, she looked really very angry "You think that if _you_ are not going to Slughorn's parties, then all the other people who are going or want to go are fools, they are morons! You, who are mad after James Potter, think that there is no one better than him-"

Jenny said, "Sienna!" and Veronica shouted "Watch your mouth!"

"Have you even seen, the way he keeps strutting around! The way he keeps showing off, thinks of himself as big quidditch star, just because he's seeker! But no, you think the biggest showing-off prat is the best in the world, and any one who thinks differently is a big fool-"

"Yes! I think that you are a fool, behaving like you are another Slughorn fan, eager to attend his parties-" Veronica retorted, Jenny began "Veronica please-"

"I am not eager to attend his parties!" Sienna answered back, her voice at shouting level "Ill be going because Timothy invited me-"

"Or else," Veronica sneered "your main interest would be to know what else magic is there in _our_ magical world." Jenny said "Veronica Shu-"

"Maybe, you want to catch up with all the knowledge, on account of your orphanage years!"

The moment Veronica said it, Sienna fell quite. Jenny clasped a hand at her mouth, someone sitting behind them gasped.

Jenny could not believe it. How could Veronica say it?! Nobody apart her and Veronica knew that Sienna was an orphan, and that she lived in an orphanage. Sienna had told them, one month back, when Veronica had asked that why she never received or sent any mail. She had replied, "There's no one to send mail to." Veronica had been sympathetic, patting Sienna on her arm, she had said that it doesn't matter, she should see the good things of life, she should see that she was here, at Hogwarts, and that they were her friends……..

Tears were swelling in Sienna's eyes. She was continually staring at Veronica who was staring back fiercely. She was breathing heavily as if she had just come running a mile. Sienna looked perfectly calm except the fact that her eyes were brimming with tears. Jenny was staring at Veronica as if she had never seen her before.

Sienna closed her eyes. The tears swelling in them fell on her cheeks travelling down further to her chin, and then to her neck. Jenny turned towards her and opened her mouth, but at the same time the bell rang shrilly. Jenny jumped. She had momentarily forgotten that they were sitting in the class.

Sienna picked up her books quickly, yet gently and calmly and left the class room first, ignoring Jenny who had called, "Sienna!"

"Ms. Jones?" Jenny turned at Flitwick's voice to see the whole class staring at her. There was a shocked silence. Flitwick opened his mouth again "Ms. Jones, what-"

But the rest of his words were drowned in a loud scraping noise. Veronica stood up roughly, stuffed her things in her bag and left the class at full speed.

"Veronica!" Jenny called and ran after her, but Veronica had already left the class.

Jenny went and stood at the class door. On her left was Sienna, who was walking slowly with her head bent. On the right, was Veronica. She was walking with her nose in the air, taking quick, long strides. Jenny watched both of them, feeling helpless, not able to decide whom she should go after.

"Sienna! Veronica!" she called to both of them.

Both of them went on, not pausing even for a second. Whether they had not heard or were pretending, Jenny did not know.

" Don't worry, they'll come around." Flitwick had come and stood beside Jenny "However, it was not a wise thing of Ms. Andrews……"

Jenny glanced at him once and turned to see the now distant silhouettes of her friends. Soon, they were lost in the crowd of students leaving their classes.


	7. Chapter 7

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**ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS "BORROWED PLOT" MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED BY ANY MEANS WITHPUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.**

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

……………………………………………………………………

THE FALL FROM GRACE

Jenny was drumming her fingers on the table impatiently. They were halfway through the dinner, puddings were just around the corner, and still she was nowhere.

"Don't worry, she'll come sometime or the other." David said while munching a piece of baked potatoes. "If she doesn't come today, she will have to turn up tomorrow. Nobody can remain hungry much long."

Jenny stopped drumming her fingers and looked at David, exasperation written on her face clearly "I am not worried about what she will _eat, _I am worried about where she is, and no body has seen her since afternoon……."

"Why didn't you tell me though, that she is an orphan? I am your friend too." David asked in an accusing tone.

Jenny let out an exasperated sigh. "David, it's not about friendship, trust or anything like that. People just don't want to tell this kind of news to their friends so early. It takes time to gain faith in the person before telling him or her about your self or your past."

David said nothing but Jenny detected a look of hurt as he helped himself to the chocolate gateau that had materialised infront of them a second before.

"David, I am not saying that Sienna doesn't think of you as a good friend, it's just that she doesn't know you well, I know, that the past four months she has known you" she said as David opened his mouth "but David, I don't think that four months are enough to tell something like that to any one."

David opened his mouth again, but Jenny again overrode him "I know she told me and Veronica, but it was an accident, when Veronica asked her why she never receives or sends any mail, I am sure Sienna had not planned to tell us, at least that day. But she did, only because I think she felt we were faithful."

David said (the spoon in his hand in the middle of the way to his mouth) "Do you mean to say that she does not find me faithful?"

Jenny let out another sigh "Listen, it's not about _finding_ you faithful, it's about finding _time_ to see you are faithful."

When David looked confused she said further "what I mean is, she doesn't know you too well that will make her think that you ought to know about her, she doesn't spend as much time as I spend with you or she would have told you just like she told us, and I am not saying that you are unfaithful or something like that, I trust you."

David looked a little pink as he opened his mouth but the voice that sounded in Jenny's ears was not his.

"So, said the three words to him already?"

Jenny choked at her glass of water to hear Sirius Black's chuckle.

"What-what did you say?" she asked, coughing.

He smiled his handsome arrogant smile at her but did not answer.  
"What happened, Sirius?" James Potter, who was sitting beside Black also joined in.

"She said the three words to him." Black replied, his finger at David who was turning red from pink by the moment.

"Oh, really?" James Potter looked at Jenny and then at David in mock amazement. "What were they, Abbot?"

"I –dash- you." Sirius replied, his eyes boring into Jenny's who did not avert them, but glared back.

"Ooooh," James Potter cooed "I –dash- youooo! David, did you kiss her in reply?"

"SHUT UP!" Jenny yelled suddenly. The smiles from Potter and Black's faces vanished. Even David looked up from his dish bowl (which he had started finding very interesting when Potter and Black were speaking) his mouth hanging.

Jenny slammed her crystal glass of water on the table so furiously that it broke, the resultant noise brought several people's attention. She stood up angrily, nearly shaking the person sitting next to her (a burly sixth year, who was looking at her in amazement) picked her bag lying at her foot with a ferocious swipe, and stomped out of the great hall, not noticing the many eyes that had followed her.

………………………………………………………………………………………...

'_What conquers all? Truth, Desire or Death?'_ The sweet, melodious voice rang out. There was a minute's silence. Then, she answered "Desire conquers sense, Insensibility conquers wit, and Death conquers life. But Truth always prevails. So, Truth conquers all."

'_Well reasoned.'_ The door swung open, and Jenny entered the Ravenclaw common room to see Veronica sitting on the window sill of one of the arched windows with the curtains thrown back, a glass of pumpkin juice in one hand and a sandwich in the other, a thick book lay open at her lap.

"YOU!" Jenny shrieked at her, making Veronica jump. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? GET DOWN FROM THAT WINDOW!"

Veronica gaped at her "Jenny, what hap-"

"YOU GET DOWN FIRST!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, I'll get down." Veronica slided down the window, looking suspicious and apprehensive at the same time.

"Jenny, what happ-" She tried to ask again, but once again, Jenny overrode her.

"You promise me that you will never sit on these window sills with windows open ever again!"

"Okay, okay, I promise to never sit on these window sills again, if you say so, now please calm-" Veronica agreed immediately, fearing that Jenny will start shouting once again. She had never before seen Jenny shout or yell, Jenny was just not the type. And now, to see her timid friend yell at her, it was scary. But this thought too, vanished from her brain as did the words that she was going to speak when Jenny burst into tears suddenly.

"Jenny!" Veronica hurried over to her. "What happened? Don't cry!"

"I am s-s- sorr- ry!" Jenny said between her sobs "I have been h-horrible! Sh-shouting at you like that…."

"No, no, it's okay!" Veronica said, while leading Jenny to a chair. "You were right, sitting on that window like that, especially when no one was around, it was dangerous….."

The door swung open and Charlotte and Gemini walked in.

"What happened?" Veronica asked at the same time as Gemini. They both looked at each other.

"Samantha was sitting on the Gryffindor table with David Abbot," Charlotte hurried to speak, she did not want another argument between Gemini and Veronica "and then, I think, Sirius Black said something to her and, then she yelled at him to shut up and left the hall."

"Sirius Black?!" Veronica asked Jenny in an amazed voice "You yelled at Sirius Black to shut up!" Jenny nodded, as Charlotte added "And, Samantha, Professor McGonagall took off five points from Ravenclaw."

Jenny started crying again "I made Ravenclaw lose five points! Oh, I am pathetic! Making a racket in the hall like that and coming here and yelling at you….."

"You yelled at her too?" Torien Gemini asked, curiosity clear "Why?"

Veronica raised her eyebrows "You mind your business, Gemini."

"You shut up!" Gemini retorted "Remember the way you were going on about my brother in today's charms class! You should be thankful that I am not duelling you!"

"Oh, yeah!" Veronica laughed "I am thankful that you are not duelling me or I would have to have endured your pathetic duelling skills!"

Charlotte watched this verbal duel for a moment. Exasperated, she followed Jenny to their dormitory.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I don't want to talk about Veronica." Were the first words that Sienna said to Jenny as she sat down beside her in the library next evening.

"Oh, okay."

There was a moment's silence, during which Sienna stared at the _One Thousand Magical Herbs_ in front of her. Then, Jenny spoke "She is sorry, Sienna."

Sienna did not answer.

"And you know it. She tried to talk to you, why don't you hear her out?"

"Listen," Sienna said, while slamming shut _One Thousand Magical Herbs_ fiercely, " I don't want to talk about Veronica. If that is what you are here for, then you can leave!"

To her surprise, Jenny burst into tears. "O-okay!" she said and got up to leave, when Sienna caught her hand and forced her down.

"Jenny! What's got into you!" She said, making Jenny sit down. "Is it because of Veronica? Has she been bullying you to come and speak to me?"

"No!" Jenny wailed even more loudly (a fifth year sitting nearby frowned, and scooping his books, and left) "It's not her! It's just that, that , that I am being horrible to everyone!"

Sienna was amazed to hear this. "You are not being horrible." She said.

"I am!" jenny said, as more tears sprang in her eyes "Even you asked me to leave!"

"Okay, okay, I will not ask you to leave-"

"And then there is Sirius Black!"

Sienna stopped in middle "Sirius Black. Is he being horrible to you?"

"No! I have been horrible to him!'

"Wait, when did this happen-Are you talking about that '_I-dash-you'_ incident?"

Jenny nodded. "I shouldn't have yelled at him, he must have felt bad. _And_ I lost five points!"

Sienna snorted. "Listen, this is Black we are talking about-"

"_Do you think of the Library as a gossip point?"_ Madam Pince, the librarian had come where they were sitting. Over her shoulder, Sienna saw the fifth year boy returning to his seat.

Before Sienna could say anything, Jenny got up, and left the library at top speed.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked

"Well, Dad told me about it, though he said that he doesn't remember which tapestry of Barmy, and I have tried all of them, except this." James answered.

"I never knew that there are other Barmies around." Peter said in his squeaky voice, staring at the tapestry in front of him.

"As usual." Sirius said, then turned to Lupin "What say you, Moony?"

Remus did not speak immediately. He waited till Samantha Jones, who was passing from there, was at a considerable distance.

"I don't know." He said quietly, looking around at the same time, as if expecting to see someone hiding and listening to them, "It can be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" James said "Listen, according to my Dad, it is very useful, damn good place, he said."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed with James "And from the sound of it, it will give us what we wan-"

"Shush!" Remus shushed him as Samantha Jones passed them again.

"You need to watch when you are speaking!" Remus hissed at Sirius who did not reply. He was watching Jones' retreating back.

"Snape knows I am a werewolf and I don't want another to know, especially an auror's daugh-" Remus was going on as James cut across him.

"Snape doesn't know you are a werewolf, Remus. He _suspects_. And that's it, we can suspect anything until we can prove it. And there is no way that Snape can prove it, he's a git, remember?"

Remus looked unconvinced but looked away from James' face. That is when he saw Samantha appear at the corridor once again. He looked at James and Sirius immediately.

"That's the third time she is going to pass us." He whispered.

James whispered back, "Something is up. What do you think, Sirius?"

Sirius did not answer. He was staring hard at Samantha Jones, who had her hands behind her back and was looking as if she was trying to gather some courage from within herself.

The four boys were watching Jenny, but they did not know that she was somehow stopping her hands from wringing by holding them behind her back.

They did not know that she was here to do something but was lacking the courage to do it. She chanced a small swift glance towards the boys, and immediately regretted it, they were all watching her. Lupin looked alert, Potter suspicious and the small boy was trying to hide himself from her, he was edging towards the stone pillar behind him. But the most odd expression was Black's. Jenny noticed he looked amused. Her breath caught in her throat, she spun on the spot with the thought in her mind '_they have noticed me'_ and took a few steps towards the end of the corridor when she heard someone call her name.

"Samantha!"

Jenny turned. The boys were still there, and Black was still looking at her with amusement.

"Samantha!" It was Lily in a muggle evening dress, hurrying towards Jenny. "Sienna is looking for you. Where have you been! She says she want you to make her hair-" Lily broke off when she noticed the boys there.

"Hey Evans," James smiled at her "looking good in this muggle dress."

Lily's cheek had the colour of the faintest pink when she turned towards Jenny

"What are we waiting for?"

Jenny mumbled something and moved forwards, after Lily but someone took her name again. This time, it wasn't Lily.

"Hey Jones!" Sirius said suddenly. She froze. Lily turned and faced them with 'what do you want' look on her face. Samantha turned slowly and faced him. She did not speak, but waited for him.

"I want to say three words to you." Sirius decided to play along. Remus and James stared at him. "What are saying?" Remus asked, but he ignored him.

Samantha Jones blanched a little, but still did not speak.

There was a moment's pause, then Sirius smiled his true smile.

"I am sorry."

Remus stared at him, James coughed loudly and Peter gave a squeaky exclaim.

Lily seemed to have frozen.

But the most odd was Samantha's. She burst into tears. Lily said, "Samantha!"

"I am s-sorry too!" Samantha said between her sobs "I shouldn't have shouted at you like that!"

"It's all right, don't cry." Remus said kindly

Lily gave Sirius a look that he couldn't quite place but she said "Now, come on, Samantha. Slughorn's party starts in five minutes."

Samantha nodded and wiped her tears away. Before she turned, her eyes met Sirius' for a brief second.

"How did you know that she was trying to say sorry to you?" Remus asked as soon as the two girls turned round the corner and were gone.

"My brother, Reg," he added to James "behaves in the same way when he tries to say sorry. You know, he'll start brushing past me, meeting me deliberately in the kitchen, coming in my room to search for something that doesn't exist at all, but; " He came out of his reverie "let's come back to our Christmas present to the school…"

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Were you crying again?" Was the first thing that Sienna asked Jenny as she reached Slughorn's office.

Jenny wanted to say no, but the answer that tumbled out was different "Yes."

Sienna let out an exasperated sigh " And Sirius Black said sorry to me." She added.

Sienna looked taken aback. "Black said sorry to you." She repeated quietly. When Jenny nodded, she looked at Lily, as if asking her mutely to contradict Jenny.

"Yes, he did!" Lily nodded, picking up butterbeers from a passing elf and giving one each to them. "And I don't even know why!" She looked at them suspiciously but they just sipped their butterbeers. And before Lily could speak further, Slughorn's booming voice called "Lily! Come here, smart girl! And you too, Samantha! I want you to meet Mr. Amver Rozier, Samantha, you must be knowing him, he works with your mother…"

Two hours later, Sienna found herself wishing she would have said no to Timothy. This party was getting unbearable by hour. Slughorn only paid attention to those who were famous because of some famous relative or to those whom he liked. There was nothing to do except drink butterbeers. And Sienna had emptied at least twelve bottles.

At twenty past twelve, the door flew open. The whole party came to a stand still as Minerva McGonagall rushed inside.

"Horace!" she shouted, her expression frantic, completely oblivious to the fact that 'Horace' had been singing in German when she banged in, "make a blood replenishing potion, fast!"

"Minerva, dear, what happened?" Slughorn asked, hurrying over to her from the crowd of people he was standing in, "Is everything alright?"

"That Andrews girl-" Sienna choked on her thirteenth bottle of butterbeer "-has fallen down the stairs and broken her head-" somewhere in the back, Jenny dropped her plate with a loud crash "-I don't know _what_ exactly was she doing there at this time, but nevermind, go and make the potion, _quick_!"

She left as quickly and hurriedly as she had come, and Slughorn let after her saying 'Coming in a second!'

Jenny reached Sienna. She was standing stockstill, as if made of wax. "Sienna, what do you think we should do?"

Sienna looked at Jenny as if seeing for the first time. Then she looked at the door.

Jenny did the same.

Then, almost at the same time, both of them rushed towards it. Timothy cried "hey!" but Sienna ignored him. Reaching the door first, she flung it open, it banged loudly as it flunged back from the wall, barely missing Jenny who banged it back, out of her way and ran after Sienna.


	8. Chapter 8

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_**I dedicate this chapter to my brother, Saumitra whose birthday falls on March 21st. Happy Birthday, Big Bro!**_

_**Also, I'd like to wish you all a very HAPPY HOLI! Which also happens to fall on March 21st. For those who do not know what Holi is- it is an Indian festival in which people play with each other using colours. For more info, you have the net.**_

NO PART OF THIS 'BORROWED PLOT' MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED IN ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………………

MIDNIGHTWANDERINGS

"I've told you miss, _no_!" 

"Please, Madam Pomfrey, just five minutes! I swear we'll not speak inside. Just five minutes, _please_!"

"That girl needs sleep and quiet; she's broken her head, not a nail! I'm telling you girls, if you pester me for another minute, I'll march you off to the headmaster!"

It was the morning of the day they were supposed to leave for Christmas, and Veronica was still in the hospital wing. According to Madam Pomfrey, her head had been mended, and her blood replenished, but she still won't let Sienna and Jenny inside.

"Madam please," Jenny begged "Carriages are leaving in an hour's time and I want to see her before I leave for home!"

Madam Pomfrey turned to Sienna "And you, you'll be leaving too, I expect."

"No, I'm staying here." Sienna replied, she had decided not to go to her orphanage "As Veronica is in no fit way to travel, someone should be there to give her company."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips at the thought of Sienna coming and giving company to Veronica but finally opened it "Alright, I'll let you in, but only at the promise that you won't make a single sound."

"Don't' worry Madam Pomfrey, you won't hear us breathe!" Sienna said as they followed her in.

And there she was, lying buried under a thick blanket, with her head heavily bandaged.

"No sound…" Madam Pomfrey managed to whisper another warning as they neared her bed. Veronica was lying on her back, her head facing the ceiling, arms resting peacefully over the blanket. Jenny could see her nut brown shoulder length hair lying open at the white pillow. She looked like the peacefully sleeping Sleeping Beauty except for the fact that she had a thick crown of bandages on her head.

Sienna went and stood on her left as Jenny sat on the bed on Veronica's right. For a moment, no one spoke. Both of them kept on staring at Veronica. Then Sienna asked in a hushed tone "Do you know why she was out that night?"

Jenny looked behind, checking for Madam Pomfrey before answering in the same tone "No."

Silence. Then Sienna asked again "What about her mother?"

"What about her?"

"Shouldn't she be informed of this? I think McGonagall might've done."

Jenny considered this possibility. "I don't think she has, or else her mother might have come here."

"But what will happen when she doesn't meet her mother at the station? Surely, she'd be worried. Or have you informed her Veronica won't be coming?"

"Veronica was already not going back home for Christmas. Her mother had asked her not to." Jenny added at Sienna's confused look.

"Her mother had asked her not to come home for Christmas?" Sienna repeated 

Jenny shifted. "I said the same thing to her, to which she replied that her mother is off her rocker."

Sienna opened her mouth to say something, probably that she thought that Veronica was off her rocker too, but at the same time Madam Pomphrey came bustling out of her office "You've had your five minutes. Now, _out_!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Cheer up, Veronica would be alright." David said, offering Jenny a packet of Every Flavoured Bean with his free left hand, in the right he had half a chocolate frog.

"Yeah, she is strong, she'll be fine!" Timothy assured her. 

Jenny smiled, trying to busy herself in the task of looking for a particular flavour of bean. She was sitting in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express, with David, Timothy, Charlotte, and Gemini.

"What I don't understand is that how come she broke her head on the stairs." Charlotte wondered aloud "Was something slippery on the stairs?" she asked Jenny.

Jenny swallowed her mint flavoured bean. "No, er" she felt hesitant, would Veronica have minded if Jenny told them "the stairs, you know, they keep changing, and, by the looks of it, maybe she didn't notice that it was moving and kept on walking and fell down, on the stair below and broke her head."

Gemini giggled. Jenny and Charlotte both shot her a disgusted look.

"There is nothing to giggle about, Torien!" Charlotte said.

"I don't think that Veronica would be so stupid as to not see that the stairs were changing." David said, while biting off some more of his chocolate frog. "I think may be someone threw her off the stair."

"Why would anyone do that?" Jenny asked him as Gemini giggled once again.

Timothy shot his sister a 'behave-yourself' look before speaking to Jenny "Does she sleep well?" 

"Who?" Jenny asked, completely non-plussed.

"Veronica!" Gemini giggled again. Charlotte warned "Torien."

"I don't know, I am sleeping myself at that time." Jenny answered 

David sniggered. "What do you mean, Tim, 'does she sleep well?'?" He asked Timothy, sniggering again.

Timothy looked at him with a disgusted expression on his face. "What I meant was, does she have a good night's sleep-" (David and Gemini sniggered together) " –without wandering off anywhere?"

"Wandering off anywhere?" Charlotte asked as David and Gemini doubled up in laughter.

"Some people have a habit of walking around in their sleep." Timothy explained, his face was reddening slightly as Gemini's and David's sniggering continued "It's a muggle disease. It's called sleep walking-_will you two stop it!_" 

Gemini and David's sniggering was turning into full laughter.

"Sor-sorr-ry!" David gasped between his laughs.

Gemini didn't say anything, but in order to not look at her brother, she opened another chocolate frog and stuffed it in her mouth, still giggling.

But as soon as she did that, it burst out of her mouth and she slid off her seat and landed on the floor of the train, possibly faster than the fragments of unchewed chocolate frog she had spit out, laughing hysterically.

Charlotte screamed "Torien!" but Gemini kept on laughing hysterically as David too, joined in, laughing very much like her.

Jenny was feeling scared. What was the matter with them? Why were Gemini and David laughing like mad? But she was not the only one who was feeling bewildered. One look at their faces confirmed that Charlotte and Timothy were also as clueless as her about what was happening to David and Gemini. 

"Torien?" Timothy said in a small, scared voice. "Torien, what are you doing?"

Gemini, laughing mad, looked up at him and shook her head. David was trying to say something, but was finding it hard between his maniacal laughter.

"What's got into them? Why are they laughing like mad?" Charlotte whispered, her wide eyes looking horrifically at Gemini thrashing around, laughing.

Jenny watched silently as Charlotte started crying and Timothy, in an attempt to bring their sanity back to them, emptied his water bottle on David and Gemini's heads, who tried to duck away from him, flailing their arms at him, still laughing.

And suddenly, it hit her. Gemini had had it earlier, and David was having it when he offered her (Jenny) the box of Every Flavoured Bean!

"Timothy!" she said, "I think, I think I know what's got into them, it's the chocolate frog!"

Timothy, his empty bottle in his hand, looked at Jenny with a worried expression, it was close to panick.

"I'm not going mad, too," Jenny said, trying to clear his unvoiced doubts "look," she grabbed the cover of the chocolate frog Gemini had ripped "Torien had it first and that is why she started giggling first, then David was eating it when he offered me every flavour beans, and I'm sure someone must have put something-"

"How can you be sure?" Charlotte asked, grabbing one chocolate frog herself and staring at its cover.

"There's no other explanation of why they would suddenly start behaving mental-_Timothy no_!"

Timothy, in order to test her theory, had ripped off the cover of a chocolate frog and eaten some of it.

"How d'you feel?" Charlotte asked, staring at his face as if expecting him to change features.

Behind them, David was tugging at Timothy's jeans and shaking his head, Gemini was trying to speak between her laughter "N, n-n- , no Tim-"

For a moment, it looked like Jenny was wrong about the chocolate frog, it must have been something else that would have affected Gemini and David, but then, a wide grin appeared at Timothy's face.

"You were right!" he said, grinning widely at Jenny, as if she had done some great job. "The chocolate frogs are spiked with a laughing potion!"

"But you are not laughing like them." Charlotte pointed at Gemini and David, who were still laughing behind their backs.

"That is because he has eaten only a bit of it." Jenny explained

"Exactly." Timothy agreed, grinning.

"Why would anyone do that?" Charlotte asked

Timothy, smiling broadly, shrugged "Don't know."

"Well, whoever has done it, he or she must be a good potioneer, the laughing potion is quite strong." Jenny commented.

"Do you think we are the only ones who have been affected?" Charlotte said, edging towards the door, but before she could reach it, it swung open.

Standing there, smiling broadly, whether on his own or because of the frog, was James Potter. "Good, good." He said, looking at Gemini, David, and Timothy, as if he was inspecting them.

"I can see you guys are going to have a very 'happy' Christmas indeed."

"You did this!" Timothy asked. Though he was smiling, his voice reflected shock and anger.

"I thought, Timmy;" Timothy flushed beet-root red "that at least you should have guessed, after all, we are in the same house!"

"Why did you do it?" Charlotte asked suddenly. James Potter smiled again.

"Well, you see, how much happy you people are now. I just wanted to make sure that you have a very good holiday."

"And I was thinking you were going okay!" Jenny burst suddenly.

"Going okay?" Potter repeated, eyebrows raised.

"Hey!" Black had joined "Evans over there has stupefied Snape!"

"Why?" Potter asked, a true smile forming on his face.

"She said he was laughing too much. Not said, actually, shouted. But that was still the same thing." He shrugged at Potter.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Had a good term?" Mrs. Jones asked Jenny as she entered the house. Mr. Jones followed, carrying her large trunk

"Eventful?" Mr. Jones added

"Yeah, it was pretty eventful, I-" Jenny said

"Did you get detention yet?" Mrs. Jones interjected.

"Detention? No-" Jenny stopped at her mother's casual tone. She was asking as if that is why she had sent her to Hogwarts.

Mr. Jones was also thinking along the same lines "Yet?" he asked Mrs. Jones, his eyebrows raised "Fi, what do you mean? Do you think Jenny would do something that will earn her a detention?"

Mrs. Jones shrugged. "I had got my first detention on the second day of school." She said, helping Jenny take off her wet scarf.

"What made you get it?" Jenny asked, surprised

"She had somehow managed to burst her cauldron." Mr. Jones answered.

"How come you know about it?" Gwen asked.

"He was there too." Mrs. Jones replied, to Jenny's great astonishment "He had been given detention by Dumbledore, he used to teach transfiguration then." She added at Jenny's confused expression.

"But why, daddy?"

Mr. Jones glared at Mrs. Jones before answering Jenny "I, er, I was sneaking out at night to the kitchens."

"Kitchens?" Jenny repeated blankly, she had never ever thought that Hogwarts even had a kitchen.

"But that detention was very lucky for me." Mrs. Jones smiled at her husband, as she slid her hands around his waist "That was how I met your father there."

"Fi…" Mr. Jones smiled at her, and leaned forwards for a kiss.

Jenny, who was still thinking about Hogwarts and its kitchen, saw her parents kissing, and turned away immediately, feeling disgusted.

"Don't worry, mumma! If Jenny didn't get detention on second day of school, _I_ will! And may be, I will also meet someone like daddy over there!" Gwen said suddenly, in a determined voice.

Mr.&Mrs. Jones broke apart, laughing.

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

Tap-Tap.

Tap-Tap-Tap.

" 'wen…" Jenny moaned.

Tap-Tap.

"Lemmesleep 'wen…."

Tap-Tap-Tap.

"Goway!"

Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap!

"_What?"_ Jenny finally got up.

She stared around for Gwen. She was not there. Scowling, she stared at the clock hanging on the wall facing her. It was 11'O clock exactly. Scowling, she sank her head once again in her pillow, she must have imagined the noise. But as soon as she closed her eyes, it happened again.

Tap, Tap, TAP!

She sat upbolt right. So there was something or someone around that was making that sound, she had not imagined it. It didn't sound like someone knocking, it sounded more like the tapping by an ……………

"Owl!" Jenny whispered to herself, staring at her window. There was a handsome tawny owl sitting on the sill outside her window, looking indignant.

"From whom are you at this time?" she asked as she let the owl inside.

The owl soared over to her bed and flopped down at it with a soft 'flump'.

Wondering who'd be writing to her at this time, she approached the owl. It blinked it's amber eyes reprovingly at her as she untied the letter tied at its leg. It was addressed to her in a hurried, cursive writing. Jenny immediately recognised it: it was Veronica's.

Worrying at why Veronica would write to her at the dead of the night, she quickly slit it open. The owl gave a small indignant hoot, but she ignored it and started reading Veronica's letter.

_Hi Jenny!_

_I know it is the most unusual time to send a letter to someone, but as you know, Madam Pomfrey won't let me out in the day except the day before Christmas, and I get dead bored in the hospital wing with those wretched tasting potion I have to take (Pomfrey says I still need to get a bit of my blood replenished) so me and Sienna (yes, we've made up! I said sorry to her and she hugged me in reply!) sneak out at night-_"Oh no!" Jenny groaned –_to the kitchens and to the other parts of the castle. I know you are probably frowning in disapproval, but still, its quite fun!_

_We have discovered a few shortcuts, I'll show you when you'll be back. There's one in the Charms corridor, and when we came out of it, we were just five steps from the Gryffindor portrait hole! And yes, on my say, Sienna told me the Gryffindor password (SnowMaiden)and I even saw the whole of Gryffindor tower!_-"Veronica!" Jenny gasped_- I know I shouldn't have done that, but there weren't much people there. Just some fifth year, but they didn't even notice us, they were busy studying. Do you know that girls can get inside the boys dormitory but boys can not do vice-versa? I know it's disgusting, but we, i.e. me and Sienna toured all the boys' dormitory! And in the sixth year one, we also found a couple snogging! Too bad the girl was a prefect, so was the boy. But they took off points from Gryffindor thinking I was a Gryffindor. Sienna didn't seem happy about it but she still told me that the couple was Frank Longbottom and his girlfriend, Alice. I think she admires Alice, she said that Alice_ _was brilliant in everything._

_Anyway, I'm way off the subject. What I really wanted to write about was-HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_-Jenny smiled_-Sienna says so too. I know it is tomorrow, but still, Happy Birthday in advance. I'm just thinking it would have been really good if you would have been here too, them I'd wished you in person. But, never mind, I'm enclosing your gift along with this letter-_Jenny immediately scrambled for it in the envelope_-it's not much, if I had been home I'd have sent you something better, but still, there's always a second time-_Jenny turned the envelope upside down and out fell-a bracelet. She picked it up, examining the beads which were strung on its thread_-I and Sienna have made it. In fact, it was Sienna who made it, I only fetched her things. But still, its not bad, infact, I liked it more than the one my mother had brought me for my eleventh birthday. I hope you like it. SEND AN ANSWER BACK. I would like it if it would be this night itself. _

_We are missing you, but still enjoy your birthday!_

_Me and Sienna_

Jenny smiled as she put the letter down. The bracelet was nice, and different too, she liked it a lot. The beads were simple, shards of coloured glass stuck together so that they formed small, differently coloured glass beads. Jenny was sure it would have taken a lot of time and patience to do that tedious job. 

The owl hooted again, this time sitting on her shoulder as if trying to make her hear loudly. Maybe it had been told to expect another letter back home. Jenny hesitated, then, getting to her feet, took out her quill and parchment.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Dear Veronica and Sienna, _

_Thanks a lot for the bracelet, its very good, I liked it, -" _She says she likes it!" Sienna exclaimed in a hushed voice to Veronica. They were walking up the stairs to the seventh floor corridor, Veronica, whose arms were full of pumpkin pasties and sandwiches, looked around suspiciously. "Don't be so loud!" she hissed at her.

Sienna kept her fingers on her lips and kept on reading the rest of Jenny's letter in silence. Veronica kept looking over her back every now and then. Though they were walking quietly, but even the sound of their hushed footsteps was making Veronica nervous. "Don't drag your feet." She hissed at Sienna. Sienna looked up from the letter. "What's got into you today? You weren't so nervous yesterday?" she whispered.

Veronica looked over their backs as they entered the seventh floor corridor. "I don't know why, but this doesn't seem okay today, just feels like…..and it's snowing too……"

"There will be shelter up there, you know that…." Sienna whispered back "…and you yourself said that you-" but she stopped dead. Veronica did too, her eyes wide in alarm.

The tapestry of Barnabas The Barmy was opening. Veronica blinked her eyes a few times, but this was no trick of her eyes, there was no mistaking the dark silhouette of the tapestry against the white walls.

Both Sienna and Veronica had frozen. They watched in silence as from behind the tapestry, a man stepped out in the corridor. For a heartbeat, nobody moved, not even the man. Then, Sienna gasped and backed away a few steps. The man had moved, and something that looked very much like a wand had appeared in his hand. The pumpkin pasties and sandwiches went cascading down on the floor as Veronica plunged her hand inside her robe and pulled out her wand

But the man had gone. The tapestry was back in its place and Veronica and Sienna were standing there, still staring around. There was no sign of any man. Veronica was still pointing her wand here and there as if expecting any curse to sail towards her from thin air when Sienna whispered "Veronica?"

"What?"

"Let's, let's go back. This, doesn't seem okay, that hallucination we had…"

"That man was no hallucination." Veronica said quietly, her eyes still searching.

"How do you know it was even a man?" Sienna asked

Veronica frowned "Well, usually, men look very much like _he_ was looking, you know, two eyes, two legs, two arms…"

"No, I mean how come do you know he was not some ghost?"

Veronica turned back to the tapestry "Because he looked solid and ghosts are pale and transparent. And, they don't carry a wand with them."

There was a moment of silence. Then, Veronica said "Maybe he's still here, somewhere here…" she pointed to the space around the tapestry "maybe he's invisible, maybe he's disillusioned….." and she moved forwards, her arms held wide as if in a hug when Sienna whispered, "Veronica don't!"

Veronica faced her "Why not?"

"I, I feel scared."

Veronica opened her mouth, probably to say that it was a shame that she was feeling scared despite being a Gryffindor but at the same time, they heard a loud cackle, coming from two floors below them.

"Peeves" Veronica said.

Sienna looked relieved that now there really was a reason for them to leave.

"Listen, Veronica, let's go! Peeves might come and then we'll land in trouble!"

Veronica looked back at the tapestry of the Barmy. "Please, Veronica…" Sienna begged.

"Allright, let's go." Veronica said finally. Relieved, sienna followed her to the stairs at whose end they departed, one heading to Gryffindor tower and the other to hospital wing.

But it was finally after many moments that some sound came. Or, let's say something, or _someone_ moved. If anyone would have been there, he or she would have surely got scared, or at least, alert.

But there was no one there. The whole corridor was deserted, and so were the stairs. There was no one, no one to hear the slow rhythmic sound of the heavy footsteps that echoed around. A few minutes later, the source of the sound of footsteps revealed himself infront of a gargoyle. How he managed to find his way without getting lost, only he knows. "Fizzing Whizbee" A deep, hiss like voice said.

The gargoyle leapt aside and he stepped on to the now revolving staircase. 


	9. Chapter 9

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**EINHORN GONE MISSING**

"I have told you before too, Veronica, and I'm telling you again. Breaking school rules won't help you at all." Jenny whispered as Mr. Skitt's whistle sounded.

"Oh, shut up." Veronica said, her broomstick already above Jenny and Sienna's.

"She's right, Veronica." Sienna said, her broom now levelling with Veronica's.

"Not you too!" Veronica said before moving on her broom with a spurt of speed, stripping the whole class.

Sienna followed, overtaking Quirell, one of the Ravenclaw boys of their year.

"What,..I..don't understand, is, _what is the point of quidditch in this snow_?!" Jenny said as she reached Sienna and Veronica who were waiting for Mr. Skitt to blow her whistle at the end of the quidditch pitch.

Sienna smiled at her. "You don't like quidditch much do you?"

"I had never flown any broomstick except Hogwarts." Jenny said, as Mr. Skitt blew his whistle again and Veronica speeded towards the other end of the quidditch pitch, barely missing Jenny in the process. Sienna followed, as speedily as Veronica.

"Allright now, come off your brooms all of you." Mr. Skitt bellowed when the class reached the end of the pitch.

Sienna hopped off her broomstick along with Veronica. They were already halfway to the broomshed when Jenny finally landed on the ground, staggering a little as her feet hit the ground.

"Good work, girls!" Mr. Skitt said to Sienna and Veronica, who smiled in return. "I think that Ravenclaw Captain Anthony was saying something about some need of reserve players yesterday, Veronica…"

"Sorry, sir, but I'm not interested in reserve play." Veronica said with a smile.

"Now, now, you should always start small, Veronica, even if you are very good at it!" he added with a small wink to Veronica.

"What was that?" Sienna asked as they entered the broom shed to keep their brooms. "Why was he winking at you?"

"I've known him since childhood." Veronica said simply.

"Since childhood?" Sienna repeated "What d'you mean?"

 "He's the one who taught me how to play quidditch." Veronica said "I've known him all my life because he's my mother's best friend."

There was a few moments' silence as Jenny and Sienna digested this information. Then Sienna burst "And you never told us!"

 Veronica shrugged "Slipped, but listen to me;" She said, her tone suddenly tense "Who d'you think that man was?"

Jenny didn't need asking what she was talking about, Veronica had resumed their earlier discussion about the man Sienna and she had seen in the seventh floor corridor.

"I don't even want to think that he was a man!" Sienna said with a shudder.

Veronica raised an eyebrow as they entered the great hall. "Why?"

"You didn't see him, you didn't see his face-"

"How come you saw his face and she didn't?" Jenny asked

"He had moved and some moonlight shone on his face, but it was for a fraction of second, and only I know how I controlled myself from shouting…"

"What did you see?" Jenny asked eagerly as they entered the charms corridor.

"It was, it was, grotesque." Sienna said, making a face. "Looked like an animal, fierce animal." She whispered, as they took their usual back seats in Charms "It was scary. If you'd have been there, Jenny, you'd have woken up half the castle if you'd have seen his face."

"Why would such a man be here?" Veronica said, as Flitwick entered the class and they all rose to wish him.

"Don't even want to know." Jenny said stiffly as they all sat down on their seats.

Sienna noticed the stiffness in her voice. Veronica, who hadn't opened her book, said slowly, "Maybe it was some guest of Dumbledore."

Sienna, who had opened her mouth to speak to Jenny changed track in middle "Je-why d'you think he was a guest of Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore seems like the kind to consort with such men." Veronica said, keeping her book infront of her face to avoid Flitwick's eye.

"You mean to say he's dangerous and scary?" Jenny asked, inspite herself.

"No, just that, that, Dumbledore seems like the one who can deal with such people." Veronica said

Sienna suddenly giggled. "Veronica, d'you _deal_ with guests at home?"

 Veronica opened her mouth to tell her off, but at the same time, Flitwick called "And it looks like Ms. Andrews has a lot to say on the subject of levitation charms, what do you know about levitation charms, Ms. Andrews?"

Jenny's hand shot up in the air as Veronica began speaking. "Levitation charms are used to levitate things or whatever you want to levitate, the wand movement involved is 'swish-&-flick' and the spell is _Wingardium Leviosa_, proper pronunciation is essential."

"Good girl, you surprised me, take ten points!"

...

"Welcome all, to the last match of the Quidditch season. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, this is the most awaited match and according to recent developments, Ravenclaw has surprisingly become a very good team all of a sudden-" Gryffindors and Ravenclaws in the crowd booed and cheered. "-of course, all this can be down due to the new Captain Anthony, I've seen him making the team practise hard since October, maybe the Gryffindors will lose for once-" the Gryffindors booed "-and here they come- Lisa-captain-chaser, Sheena Annett and Bagman-beaters, Chasers-Pettrove, Karlos and Maddy Aniston, keeper-looking good, Maddy! And also-James Potter-seeker!"

"You show them, Potter!" Veronica yelled loudly.

"They are playing Ravenclaw!" Quirell, who was sitting beside Veronica, looked offended.

"So?" Veronica asked

"_So_!" Quirell exclaimed, getting even more offended. "Don't you think that you should cheer for your own house?!"

"Did I say 'Go Gryffindor'?" Veronica asked coolly, staring at the quidditch pitch where Lisa and Anthony were shaking hands.

"But you cheered for Potter!"

"Exactly, and I'll do it again, he's the best!"

"He's not! Anthony is the best seeker-" Quirell said, getting red in the face by the moment.

"You know, this has to stop, she's getting nuts!" Jenny whispered to Sienna, as they saw Ludo Bagman send a bludger towards a Ravenclaw chaser.

Sienna, who was busy looking through the binoculars at the stands, didn't answer.

"Now what are you doing? It's not raining even." Jenny said inquisitively to Sienna

"Just a moment." She said.

"Are you looking for someone?" Jenny asked, noticing that Sienna was focusing on the seats rather than the game.

"Looking for Timothy?" Veronica asked, smiling snidely.

Sienna put the binoculars down furiously. "I'm _not_ looking for Timothy, he's sitting two rows behind us!" she said to Veronica.

"Oh, so you already knew where he was sitting?"

Sienna went back to her binoculars muttering something angrily to herself.

"Ten-zero to Gryffindor!" the commentator announced.

Veronica cheered loudly. Quirell shot her a 'you-are-nuts' look.

………………………………………………………………………………………... 

"Only two weeks to go, and I haven't even  finished revising!" Jenny said in a   frightened tone. Sienna, Veronica and she were walking down the stairs from Defence to the Great Hall for dinner, Professor Einhorn had just informed them that they'll be having their exams in the last week of May.

"Don't know what's worrying you, there's still two weeks' time, and you have even started revising!" Veronica said, looking at Jenny as if she were some mad loon.

"That's it! I've just started revising! And I have not even _touched_ potions, I think I am going to fail….."

"Really, Jenny, stop behaving as if the world's going to end." Veronica said as they sat down at Ravenclaw table together, Sienna had started sitting with them daily. "Honestly speaking, I don't know why you are so worried, it's nothing, really!"

"It's nothing?!" Jenny repeated, and looked exasperatedly at Sienna, ready to share the same exasperated looks they shared whenever Veronica launched into some irritating torrent about Potter. Only this time, Sienna wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. She was looking at the Gryffindor table. Jenny turned back to Veronica. "Veronica you should start revising, really, exams are coming-where are you going?" she added to Sienna, as she suddenly grabbed her bag and got up.

"My house table." She answered simply.

"Why, are you missing Timmy so much?" Veronica said, as Sienna walked towards the Gryffindor table.

Sienna did not answer to the jibe and went and sat down at the empty seat beside Peter Pettigrew, right across Remus Lupin.

"Hey, I think I should go and join her, she's sitting nearby James Potter…." Veronica said.

"You go," Jenny said, taking out her Potions book from her bag and propping it open beside her plate of bacon. "I don't want to waste my time."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Very good, Ms. Jones." Professor McGonagall said, scribbling something on the parchment on her clipboard, after seeing the witch's pointed hat Jenny had transfigured a rose into.

Jenny departed from the classroom in high spirits to find Sienna and Veronica talking outside the door.

"Professor McGonagall said very good for my hat!" Jenny said, squealing with delight.

Veronica ignored this completely. "We have good news."

"It's bad!" Sienna said in reprimanding voice.

"What is it?" Jenny asked anxiously "Is it about Professor Slughorn?"

"I wish it was." Veronica said, sighing dramatically as if the world never did justice to her.

Sienna sent her a look of disgust before answering Jenny. "It's about Einhorn, he's gone missing."

"Gone missing?!" Jenny said in disbelief "What d'you mean, missing?"

 "According to Professor Slughorn, he asked Professor Einhorn to get him some wiggentree bark from the Forbidden Forest for wiggenweld potion and Einhorn said he'd get it straight after dinner, and according to Filch, he did go to the forest, but he has not returned since!"

"Oh my god!" Jenny said, covering her mouth with her hand. "But David told me there are Acromantulas there!"

Sienna looked puzzled at the word 'acromantula'. "They are large spiders living in the forest, they can speak English, and they eat humans." Veronica explained.

Sienna's eyes widened. "Eat humans…." She repeated, looking at Jenny whose face reflected back the same horror. "But then Professor Einhorn……"

"I don't want to even think about it." Said Jenny weakly.

"You two are getting too far." Veronica said seriously, shaking her head at the thought "Einhorn will be OK, I know, Slughorn also said, that Hagrid has gone into the forest-"

"Who?" Jenny asked, she had never heard of anyone called Hagrid.

"He's this big bloke who lives in the cottage just before the forbidden forest, he's the gamekeeper,-" Veronica explained

"Big, is an understatement." Sienna interrupted "he's huge."

"Anyways," Veronica continued "he looks tough to me, looks like he knows his stuff, and, I bet you, Einhorn will be back before we make it to Great Hall for dinner tonight."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

And right Veronica was. By the time they reached the Great Hall, there was relieved murmuring in the atmosphere. Hagrid had found Einhorn lying unconscious deep in the forest. Sienna had been right, Acromantulas had attacked him, but he had escaped them somehow, and then had lost consciousness while trying to run away from them.

"See, I told you." Veronica said complacently as they took their usual seats at Ravenclaw table.

"I hope he's allright." Jenny said, looking at the chair that Einhorn used to take at the teacher's table.

"From what I've heard, he's not looking too good," Veronica said, choosing a roasted potato "but he's alive and breathing, and he can speak and recognise too."

"How do you know all that?" Jenny asked "I didn't hear that!"

"You would have if you'd gone to the loo after Charms practical." Veronica said, cutting the potato in two pieces. "There was some gaggle of silly seventh year girls there, and one of them was crying with relief that Einhorn was allright."  She rolled her eyes "I mean, really, the way she was ranting about him, and starting each sentence with 'Thanks Merlin' you'd think she had a big crush on him."

"Well," Sienna said, going a little pink "Einhorn _is_ popular among girls, and many have crushes on him."

Veronica stared at Sienna while munching a piece of the potato "It's silly, isn't it, the way girls go on about some boy or man like he's some king or something like that and there's no one better than him." She said.

Sienna and Jenny grinned at each other. "Yeah, it is." Sienna said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" The lady with the trolley asked.

Jenny looked up. "Yeah," she said, searching for some coins in her pocket. "Give me a pumpkin pasty."

"And you, dear?" the lady asked Gemini, who was sitting beside the door "What shall I give you? A frog?"

"No, thanks." Gemini immediately averted her eyes from the trolley, as if it was carrying something indecent "It'll be a long time before I have another chocolate frog."

"Right." David said, shuddering a little at the memory of the previous ride on the Hogwarts Express.

"Shame I wasn't there." Veronica said, looking at Gemini "Would've been fun."

"Speaking of the last train ride," Timothy said suddenly "we were wondering then how come you broke your head on the staircase when you were not allowed to be outside at that time?"

"I had suggested that someone with a grudge on you threw you off after luring you there." David said.

"Why would anyone have a grudge on me?" Veronica asked "I'm not even on the Ravenclaw team yet."

"Yet?" Sienna repeated but Veronica ignored her "The thing was," she said "I was feeling hungry, and decided to make a trip to the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" Gemini, Charlotte, Timothy, Sienna and Jenny said together.

"You know where the kitchen is?" Jenny asked

"I didn't know Hogwarts had a kitchen too." Charlotte said, and Gemini nodded.

"Of course there is one." David said, accepting some of the pasty that Jenny was offering him "How d'you think we get three time meal?"

"Where is it?" Timothy asked eagerly shaking his head at Jenny as she offered him some of the pasty.

"It's in the Entrance Hall," Veronica replied "there's a painting of fruits in a silver fruit bowl and you tickle the pear, it giggles-"

"-and the door opens." David finished

"You never told us that." Jenny accused Veronica.

"How come you two know about the entrance to the kitchen when we don't?" Sienna asked David and Veronica.

Veronica said "My mother."

David said "James Potter."

"Speaking of Potter," Veronica started. "Oh, no." Jenny groaned. Veronica continued as if there was no interruption "I heard him saying to Lupin that Einhorn has resigned."

"Resigned!" Charlotte, Gemini, and Sienna said together in a shocked tone.

"Oh yeah," David said "He reckons that he doesn't want to teach here anymore," a grin spread on his face "says he's not going to teach anywhere with acromantulas around."

"Acromantulas around?" Gemini said, "Acromantulas don't go walking by when he's teaching, do they?"

"You'll be shocked by what I heard." Timothy said, grinning like David "when I was in the loo yesterday, there was a guy there who was ranting about why he broke up with his girlfriend to his mate." David and Timothy's grins became wider. "Apparently," Timothy continued "his girlfriend had thrown a tantrum at him when she learned that Einhorn's getting married to his girlfriend."

"He's getting married!" exclaimed Gemini

"He's got a girlfriend!" Charlotte said, in an even more shocked voice.

"Oh, come on!" Timothy said to his sister, as she turned to Charlotte in horror. "Why d'you girls care so much about him? Even you-" he said to Sienna "seem to be mad about him! There's nothing special about him!"

"When did I say that I'm mad about him?" Sienna demanded

"You also exclaimed when you heard Einhorn is resigning!"

"Well, I did, because that's a very stupid reason to resign for!" Sienna explained

"No it's not." David said "I'd've done if I'd've been attacked by those spiders. You should thank the lord that he survived, or we'd've been heading home after his funeral."

Sienna, Jenny, Gemini, and Charlotte said together "Don't speak like that!"

"Anyways," Veronica said as she settled herself beside the window "Einhorn got back alive and we didn't had to give the exam, and that's all I'm concerned with. Pray to God that next time, we get a teacher who is more than just good looks."

Jenny started "Einhorn wasn't just good looks, he taught us a lot Defence."

"Not you too!" David said, looking at Jenny in a pained sort of way.

"No, I mean, look at what he has taught us," Jenny said, as Veronica shook her head at her "I don't think that he was a bad teacher, was he?" she asked in support to Charlotte, who did not reply. Her face had gone stony, and she was staring at the floor transfixed, just like Gemini.

"What happened to you?" Jenny asked

"Oh, give them a few minutes; they have just received the worst news of their lives." Veronica said sarcastically. Gemini immediately snapped out of her trance and opened her mouth to start on her but a loud sing-song voice sounded from outside.

"Na, nana-na-na! Na, nana-na-na! Na, nana-na-na…….."

It was a girl. She had stuffed her fingers in her ears and was walking in the corridor, singing 'Na, nana-na-na!' at the top of her voice. They all listened quietly as her chant came nearer and nearer to their compartment. They heard some boy yell loudly after her "Stop doing that!"

But the girl continued to sing 'nana-na-na' in an even more irritating voice. The boy yelled back more loudly "I'm telling you Jorkins, You will regret this attitude!"

The chanting stopped. Apparently, the girl called Jorkins had stopped to call back at the boy "Why? Will you do me in, Larry? With a broken wand, at that?"

                         Jenny next heard the boy called Larry swore furiously and a door slammed. The Jorkins girl passed their compartment door, still singing 'Nana-na-na-na' under her breath.

"Who's _that_?" Veronica broke the silence with her question

"Bertha Jorkins." Sienna, David, and Timothy said together at once.

"Who?" Charlotte asked

"She's a fifth year," Timothy said. "Maybe sixth now." Sienna added

"And she's completely insane." David finished.

"Yeah, we gathered as much." Veronica said, jerking her head at the door.

'What d'you mean 'completely insane'?' Jenny asked

"She's not insane," Sienna said, looking at David.

"Well, then I'll call her not completely sane." Timothy said

"Why, what's so odd about her?" Veronica asked curiously

"Well, she's, odd, okay, but she's not insane." Sienna said to Jenny.

"You don't know her," David said "I've been in Gryffindor since the last three years and I know her better than you. When I was in first year, she was in third, and then too, she used to irritate people just like now, and now she's in fifth ("-sixth-" Sienna said) and she's still the same."

"I think the sole reason she's on earth is;" Timothy said "gossip." David and he said together.

"Gossip?" Jenny asked, surprised. She had been expecting something else.

"Yeah," Sienna said "every time I've seen her whole year, she's either talking to someone excitedly, or else verbally fighting or teasing someone."

"She's not got much brains," David said "and whatever she has, its fit for gossiping only."

"What are we doing?" Veronica said suddenly. All of them looked at her.

"Let's not discuss brains." She said, colouring up.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jenny was feeling hot. Standing there, waiting dumbly for her parents to turn up at the station was very irritating, especially in all this heat with Hogwarts Express belching steam and sounding its horn every now and then.

Owls were screeching, cages were rattling, train doors were slamming, and children around her were calling to friends or lost pets.

Veronica and Sienna had left a few minutes ago. (Sienna embarrassingly telling them that there won't be anyone there to receive her, so she'd better leave, no point waiting which made Veronica forcibly drop her off at the orphanage) Jenny was just starting to feel irritated, standing there, all by herself, when she saw David rush back inside through the wall, look around wildly, spot her, and then rush over.

"Hey," she said, as he stopped as he reached her "what happened? Do I have some thing of yours?"

Panting, David looked up and smiled widely "No." he said

"Then what happened?"

"Listen,-" David began, clutching a stitch in his side "It's my birthday in August," he panted "and I've just confirmed it from mum,(Jenny raised an eyebrow) I mean," David coloured "I've confirmed that I can have a party for my friends, and, will you come?" he added, looking hopefully at her.

"Okay." Jenny said immediately, without thinking.

"Great!" David punched the air, and without any warning, threw his arms around her and enveloped her in a hug.

"David!" Jenny exclaimed, blushing red

"Oh, yeah,..Sorry." He stammered, while releasing her, going red just like her. "See you in august, then."

"Yeah." Jenny said, relieved that Veronica had not been around when David hugged her, she would've gone mad with laughter.

"I'll send a letter." David called, walking backwards towards the brick wall and accidentally bumping into a man "oops, sorry, sir. Okay?" he called to Jenny.   

        Jenny turned to answer him at his 'I'll send you a letter' but did not answer back. Well, because of two reasons; she had seen her father, he alone had come for her, also, he was the one whom David bumped into. And second, he was looking at her with an unusually annoyed expression. It seemed like he had seen David hug her.


	10. Chapter 10

NO PART OF THIS 'BORROWED PLOT' MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED IN ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE_ Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………………

****

**WHEN THE MOON SHIMMERS**

Jenny watched as her father approached her, walking slowly among the horde of families reunited with their kids, walking among the trolleys, looking straight at her, hardly watching where he was going, but still able to walk straight to her, without stopping anywhere in between.

He stopped as he reached her trolley, which was one step ahead of her. He was still looking at her with that unusually annoyed expression, though it was getting distant every second.

Jenny gave him a weak smile which, he did not return.

"Jenny!"

Gwen was running towards her from the wall. Behind her, Mrs. Jones was following her hurriedly, she had her wand out, Jenny tensed, she had never seen her mother take her wand out like that except when going to her job.

"How are you, Jenny?" Mrs. Jones asked as she drew level with her, and, like Gwen, she also gave her a tight hug.

"Ned, what happened to you?" she asked, as she released Jenny. Mr. Jones shook his head. "Anyways," she continued "I have to go now, okay." She said, half to Mr. Jones, half to Jenny. "That Lovegood woman has, I think, broken the Decree…., of…, I don't know what, but reportedly, the situation has gotten out of hand and, as William says, it's getting difficult to handle two faced, fire breathing, giant Cornish pixies."

"Giant?!" Jenny said, surprised "Cornish Pixies are not giant, they are small! How come anyone manage that?!"

"Exactly my question, honey, but don't worry. Hopefully, I'll be back before supper. Oh, maybe, William will be with me. Tell her that." She added to Mr. Jones before disapparating.

Gwen clapped her hands in delight. "Uncle Willy is going to come!" she said.

William McFarlen was brother of Mrs. Jones who was a very good uncle to Jenny and Gwen and his visits were always looked forward to.

But Jenny was puzzled. "Tell whom?" she asked her father, who, instead took her trolley and moved forward.

"Tell whom?" she repeated the question to her sister. Gwen clapped her hands once again. "Ooh, I'm not going to tell you, it's a surprise!"

"What's a surprise?"

"You'll see." Gwen said as she sidled next to her father in the front of the car.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As their car drew into the wide broom shed which now housed what remained of broken, old brooms, now gathering dust, it became evident to Jenny what surprise was there for her.

A brand new Silver Arrow was standing majestically among the dusty, broken broomsticks by the wall in the broom shed. Jenny gasped.

"Aunt Tia is here!"

"Yes!" Gwen confirmed.

Jenny literally bolted into the house, with Gwen by her heel. As they ran down the stairs to the kitchen, Jenny tripped on the hem of her robes, and fell headlong on the carpeted stairs, her nose got a bit of the dust from it, but she immediately got up, running her hand on the nose, when laughter met her ears.

"Aunty!" she said, running into an open pair of arms.

"Jenny! You should be careful!"

She released her, and stepped back, to take a look at her young niece.

Pink cheeked, and raven haired, she brushed a strand of silky brown hair impatiently from her forehead.

"You're already a beautiful young lady." She said, stooping to kiss her on her cheek.

"And me?" Gwen asked eagerly.

Aunty Tia laughed. Giving Gwen a kiss too, she said, "The last time I saw you, you hardly had any teeth, but still," she added, as Gwen's face fell slightly "I can see a young witch who's going to be very big one day."

The reason behind that Jenny liked Aunty Tia very much, and Gwen did not even remember her was that when Gwen was around one year old, Aunty had graduated from Hogwarts and then she had embarked upon a journey of the whole world, to see and learn about the magic of people all over the world, in different continents. And it had taken her a good four years for that.

"Tia, Fi says that William may come with her for supper," Mr. Jones entered the kitchen after depositing Jenny's trunk in her room. "And I'm going out. D'you want something?"

"I don't want anything but," she looked around the kitchen, "You guys are out of Vanilla."

"You're going make Vanilla custard!" Jenny exclaimed

"No, I'm going to make Vanilla ice-cream but you go and rest," she added sternly as Jenny opened her mouth. "We'll talk later."

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Too much Vanilla." William remarked, spooning himself some ice-cream.

"I think," Tia said in a voice that clearly suggested suppressed anger "that a Vanilla ice-cream is _supposed_ to have too much Vanilla."

"Says who?" William asked, pausing his spoon in mid way to his mouth.

"I think she just said it." Gwen answered innocently, pointing at her Aunty. Jenny choked on her spoon of ice-cream.

Thumping her on the back, Mrs. Jones said "Now come on you two, stop biting each other's head the moment you see each other."

William took another spoon of the ice-cream. "I _am_ biting," he said, after eating it "but only this 'too-much-Vanilla-containing' ice-cream, it's too hard, isn't soft at all, like it is _supposed to be_."

Tia suddenly grabbed the ice-cream bowl and added another serving to herself quite forcefully.

Mrs. Jones cleared his throat, looking pointedly at William.

"Anyways," Mrs. Jones continued "I don't know why you have brought that old broom, Tia," she said, meaning Silver Arrow. "even if the model is new!"

"Silver Arrow is getting quite old now, quite old fashioned, I know, but it's still good enough to compete with this new Cleansweep." Tia answered, making her and her brother's empty plates disappear with one swish of her wand, another swish, and four wine glasses and a bottle of wine appeared infront of her.

"Also, that was what I can afford right now." She said, pouring herself some wine.

William smirked. "So," he said, as the bottle of wine sailed towards him expectantly (wine glasses trudging behind apprehensively) "When are you showing us your new house?"

"Us?" Tia asked innocently. "I don't know why William, but I think that you are including _yourself_ in 'us'. Please tell me that I'm wrong?" she added sweetly, batting her eyelids sweetly at him.

William smirked again, (though there was a dry flush in his cheeks) filling his wine glass till top, he said, after a hearty swig from it "I know, that you miss my old habit of telling you that you are wrong, but," he took another swig, "as much as I hate to admit it, but this time, at least, you are right."

Hestia filled her glass too, to the brim, and allowed it to move forward, towards her sister in law (who was watching her apprehensively) and opened her mouth "You really remember the old times, then?"

William, who had surprisingly half emptied his glass before the bottle approached him once again, filled it full again. "Only the enjoyable ones."

"Care to tell what _is_ enjoyable in your opinion?" Tia asked irritably, finishing her first glass of red wine.

"Can I speak?" Mrs. Jones interrupted, trying to send a 'now-you'd-better-shut-up' look to her brother who had opened his mouth smirking. But Tia overrode her.

"Oh, no, no Fiona, let William speak. I think, he has missed being ridiculed since I left."

William turned a fine shade of red, matching the wine, but he took another hearty swig before answering "Funny you'd mention it, but do you know that it was because of _you_ that I was ridiculed."

"What do you mean?" Tia demanded, putting down her glass immediately, her cheeks a little rosy now.

"You know what I mean." He said, his voice suddenly very quiet.

"Oh, I know where all this is going to lead!" Tia exclaimed loudly.

"Oh, where?" William asked.

"Always the same story, never can stand a woman better than you!" Tia accused, pointing at William. Mrs. Jones buried her head in her hands.

"Sometimes," Mr. Jones said huskily, "a woman better skilled than you eclipses you for life."

Mrs. Jones looked up immediately.

There was silence as Mr. Jones poured himself another glass of wine, Tia glared at William, her usually pink cheeks now red, and William stared at her in a kind of dazed look.

"Jenny," Mrs. Jones said suddenly, her face quite tense. Jenny started, she had quite forgotten that she was there, sitting right between all of it, they were all going on as if she was not present. "Jenny, take Gwen to her room and go to sleep."

Jenny turned to the lightly snoring mass of raven hair sitting on her right that was her sister. "Gwen,… Gwen?" she said quietly, trying to make her sister get up and go to sleep at a much preferred place, like, her room.

"Gwen,…Gwen…get up Gwen?"

Suddenly, Uncle William slammed his glass down in exasperation.

"You know it!" he bellowed. Pointing his finger at Tia. "I know you know it!"

"Know what?!" Tia asked, quite bewildered.

"You know that I LOVE YOU!" He shouted, thumping his hand on the table like a hammer. Jenny gasped and covered her mouth. Mrs. Jones froze. Mr. Jones looked up in the middle of filing his glass again, and looked up, his brows knitted.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Tia also stood up, pushing her black coloured strand of hair away from her eyes. "I thought you were over it! This is not the same time! I'm not the same me! And this is not some ruddy infatuation!"

"Ruddy Infatuation?!"  William repeated, very red in the face now "It might've been ruddy infatuation to you! But to me?! To me it has always been, and always will LOVE!"

"William!" This time it was Mr. Jones. He had stood up, quite red in the face because of the after-effects of wine.

"Even if you have love for my sister, keep it to yourself, at least now, when my daughter is sitting!"

Jenny, Mrs. Jones, and Tia raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Tia asked blankly. William was also giving the same expression.

"Exactly!" he said, finishing his glass of wine and slamming it down on the table. "I don't want her to cite your example in her case!"

_in her case_

These words stung Jenny. What does he mean?

Mrs. Jones glanced at Jenny.

"Ned, what are you-?" she began but Mr. Jones spoke again.

"Like she already has enough experience of _ruddy infatuations_ on her own!"

Aunty Tia glanced at Jenny. "What are you saying?" she asked her brother.

"Ask her!" he said, pointing at Jenny. "Ask her about her boyfriend!"

Mrs. Jones and Tia immediately turned to her. "Jenny," Mrs. Jones asked gently "is your father right? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Course she has!" Mr. Jones said, flushing down some more wine down his throat. "All of twelve, and look at her ways!"

Jenny's eyes started filling up with tears. "Daddy!" she gasped "What are you saying?"

"Who was that boy?" Mr. Jones asked "That boy at the station? The one who hugged you?"

The moment he said it, Jenny burst into tears. But Mrs. Jones asked sharply "He hugged you?"

"Yes, he did! But he's my friend, not my boyfriend!" Jenny answered, sobbing.

"Oh, the same story! You had also said the same about him!" He added to his sister, pointing towards William. She shook her head at him and said gently to Jenny.

"Jenny, dear, is it true, did you really hug a boy at the station?"

Jenny cried harder. "I .., did not..hug, him! He…, hugged…, me!"

"And what about the letter that he was saying to send to you?!" Mr. Jones asked loudly.

Jenny cried harder. "His, bir…thday is in August, and he… was talking about…, sending that,.., that,. letter  to invite me!"

"Oh, a likely story! Do you think that I am stupid?"

"I do." Tia said, turning back to him.

"You shut up!" he retorted to his sister.

"Don't talk like that to her!" William said, firing up immediately.

"MEN!" Tia roared in exasperation. Yelling loudly about idiotic tipsy men, she left the room.

"Hestia!" William called after her. "Hestia! Listen to me!" He left the room after her. Then came the sound of a loud cracking.

 "Wh-what?" Gwen sat up sleepily, rubbing her eyes and looking at her sister in sleepy wonder. "Why-why are you crying Jen-Jenny?"

"it's bed time Gwen, get up and go to sleep in your room. Both of you," Mrs. Jones said. Jenny immediately got up, and still crying, ran upto her room.

She could hear her mother speak as she pounded up the stairs. "Ned, how could you? Atleast you should've talked about it to me first! I'd've talked to her!"

But she did not pause to hear. Pounding up to her room, trying to control her tears, she slammed the door shut, flung herself on the sofa beside the window, curled up, and started crying.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

The cool midnight breeze was blowing over her face, over her now dry tear marks, making the hair near her face blow.

                                                            Jenny was not crying anymore, but every now and then, a dry sob escaped her lips. Lying against the cushions, she was staring outside the window, at the moon. Occasionally, a strong gust of wind made the leaves of the tall cherry trees rustle noisily. Just as a wolf howled loudly somewhere in the distance, the knob of her door turned.

"Allright if I come in?" Mrs. Jones asked gently.

"Yes, yes, of course!" Jenny said, impatiently brushing away the tears that had sprung in her eyes at her sight.

Mrs. Jones closed the door soundlessly and came and sat down opposite her on the sofa.

"No, thank you, you use it." She said, at the cushion that Jenny was offering her.

For a long moment, no one spoke. Jenny turned to the window and her eyes started filling up with tears again.

"Jenny…" Mrs. Jones said

"I'm sorry!" she gasped in reply.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because, because I did something that made you and Daddy so angry and-"

"Daddy," Mrs. Jones interrupted "only daddy, not me. And it was nothing to be sorry about."

"It-it isn't?" Jenny asked, pausing in wiping away her tear.

"No, dear." Her mother said gently, taking her hand, and caressing it.

"It's allright for young girls to like boys, (Jenny blushed) and-"

"I don't like him!" Jenny interrupted.

Her mother looked at her. "I mean, I don't 'like him' like him!" Jenny added. Mrs. Jones smiled at her explanation. "You know," she said "I liked your father the moment I saw him, and friendship formed between us gradually, but I never told him that till the day I saw him with that girl on the Christmas Ball, it happened right here, in this house," she said, gazing at some point distant "your father was dancing with a girl who was his cousin, and I didn't knew that, I got pretty upset and downed a whole bottle of firewhiskey, I know, it was stupid," she added, as Jenny's eyebrows shot up "but after I got drunk, I took his hand abruptly in the middle of a dance, took him outside, and kissed him."

"You kissed him!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Yes, I did. I probably wouldn't have done it if I'd have had my mind on right but I did it." Mrs. Jones smiled "After Christmas, when I met your father at school again, I was pretty embarrassed. But then, he asked me out, saying he felt the same. Even though I had vomited after kissing him."

"Why had you vomited?" Jenny asked in a surprised tone.

"It was because of the excess firewhiskey, I was feeling nauseatic, but the point is, it all happened when I was fifteen." Her gaze came back at Jenny's face.

"I don't have a boyfriend, mumma," Jenny said, tears leaking from her eyes again. "and I swear that I'll never have one if Daddy gets upset so much!"

"I know you don't have boyfriend yet," Mrs. Jones said, Jenny opened her mouth at "yet" but Mrs. Jones overrode her "and nobody is going to get upset even if you do, and Daddy got out of hand because of the wine," she added as Jenny opened her mouth again "and Hestia." She finished.

"Aunty?" Jenny asked, surprised, "Because of, what-what Uncle Willy was saying?"

"Yes, and No." She said.

When Jenny continued to look puzzled, Mrs. Jones sighed. "William and Hestia," she said "went to Hogwarts the same year, and were together once. But then, because of," she paused, choosing the better word "differences, they decided to go different ways, actually, Hestia decided to go a different way, and she did, too, she went on that world tour, and your uncle joined the Ministry and started   his training, and today, when he met her after four years, and got drunk up, he couldn't control himself, yeah, just like me when drunk, but your Daddy gets a little too concerned when it comes to boyfriends and his girls. _I know, you don't_ _have a boyfriend_, but Tia did, and she wasn't too happy when all of it ended, I think that was what that propelled her to get away from here on that world tour, but anyways," she finished at last, "all this made your daddy extra sentimental towards his little girls."

There was a long silence as Jenny tried to digest all this.   

"But you know," Mrs. Jones said after a few minutes "everything happens at a certain age, and at a certain time, everything. It's written all up there." She pointed at the sky outside. Jenny looked out, and her eyes started to fill with tears again.

"Can you see the moon?" Her mother asked, after watching her for a minute.

"yes."

"How do you see it?" she asked.

Jenny turned towards her, but Mrs. Jones turned her face to the moon again,.

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.

"Can you see it through your tears?"

"Yes."

"How does it look?"

"It looks,…" Jenny trailed away, not finding the correct word.

"Shimmering?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"Yes!"

"When I was a child," her mother stood up on her knees and settled her elbows at the wide window sill, making Jenny do the same, and gazed at the moon, "and I used to cry after some loss, like when my pet kitten was lost, my toy broomstick broke, and my favourite grandpa died," she paused a little there "my mother always told me to look at the moon then, when, in the night it came out."

"Why did she tell you that?"

"The reason was, I always used to cry in my bed." Mrs. Jones answered simply "During the day, I'd pretend I'm a rough girl, who's fine and is not upset over  matters as lost pet or broken broomstick, but, in my bed, when there was no one to pretend to, I couldn't control my feelings and used to start crying."

Jenny listened raptly, her mother had never spoken about herself like that before.

"My mother knew what I used to do, because she mentioned it casually, that she looks at the moon in the night when upset about something, and all her worries used to vanish."

"One night, I was crying, and looking at the moon through my window, when she came, and explained."

"What did she say?" Jenny asked.

"She said," Mrs. Jones took off her eyes from the moon "that whenever, I look at the moon, and it shimmers to my eye, it does not so because I'm crying, it does so because it's trying to tell me something."

She looked at Jenny. "She told me, when the moon shimmers if I had lost my pet, it's trying to tell me that nothing, not even your own body, is going to stay with you forever.

               "She told me, when the moon shimmers, if I had broken some toy or something else I owned, it's trying to tell me that I'll only get something more better."

 "And you believed all that?!" Jenny blurted suddenly.

Mrs. Jones smiled. "I did, till some time, then I got even more big to admit or discuss matters over which I used to cry but," she paused "I still believe what she said when my favourite grandpa died."

"What was it?" Jenny asked.

"She told me, if we lose someone whom we love when they go away, and when we look at the moon in the night, and if it shimmers to us, it is saying that..,"

"That?" Jenny asked.

"That, the one whom we love, and if they have gone away, (Jenny understood that 'gone away' means dying) they have not truly gone, they are there, looking down at us from where we can not see them, and wish us well, and all this has happened so that God can give us a chance to test our strengths, and all of it has happened because it had to happen, good, or bad, whatever happens, it had to happen in that way and nothing that we will do will affect it, for it has happened for the best."

Jenny was too stunned to answer to that. There was a few minute's silence, and then Mrs. Jones cleared her throat. "Never mind that. You won't know what it means now."

"Er, mumma..?" Jenny began but Mrs. Jones waved a hand.

"So," she said, taking her seat at the sofa again "who was that boy who hugged you, who is _not_ your boyfriend, I know, but he still pissed your daddy off?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow at her mother's choice of words.

"Come on, tell me!" Mrs. Jones hit her lightly in the stomach with a cushion.

"His name's David, David Abbott." She answered, blushing slightly.

"Abbott? I think I know his dad," Mrs. Jones said, "he has blonde hair?" she asked. Jenny nodded.

"Yes! He's Frederic Abbott's son! So, he said he'll send you a letter?"

"An-an invitation." Jenny answered.

"Well, I think I can work your daddy into sending you, the Abbotts are nice people." Her mother got up from the sofa.

"You can?" Jenny asked, amazed.

"Yes, but I think, that you should better tell him first to send the 'letter' in the name of your father." She said, pointing at her blonde owl, Zara, who was sleeping in her cage, with her beak slightly open.

"And warn him," Mrs. Jones paused in the doorway "that your father is allergic to more than formal words about his daughter."


	11. Chapter 11

**ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS "BORROWED PLOT" MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED BY ANY MEANS WITHPUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.**

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

**……………………………………………………………………...**

THE KING ARRIVES AT LAST

In St. Pattrick's Park, things were just like yesterday evening, except one. The partially deaf granny of Billy Peterson, was laughing with a toothless friend of hers, discussing their first boyfriends. Andriana, or Andréa, the sister of Francois, or Franc Evans, was busy kissing a boy of her history class, the one about whom she had spoken to her best friend to, partially eclipsed by a rose bush.

Infront of the rose bush, there were three new moms, one of them gawky, specky, extremely blushy, and on the last stage of her teens, all of them trying their best to ignore the smooching noises drifting into their ears from behind the rose bush.

                 A couple of freckly kids were arguing loudly on the last cricket match they had seen on the television. From the house next to the park, a girl peeps outside her living room window towards the arguing boys. She calls one of them, asking him to get inside and make himself tidy, as his aunt is arriving soon. The boy hears her shrill voice, but before moving, he adds to his friends, "I'm on it!" The boys start cheering. He shrugs his shoulders modestly, and then turns and starts heading towards the small entrance gate of the park. But he does not take the gate. Instead, he jumps over the fence, and onto the road. Beside the fence, there's another girl in the rose bush, not kissing, but crying loudly, wailing for her mother. The people around can hear the wailing girl but they don't rush towards her, maybe because they don't want to, or that they are too used to hear babies crying loudly, they are not perturbed by the noise.

But in the house that they cannot see: which is across the street, right in front of the park; in the upper room with its windows open, there is someone who _is_ getting perturbed by the wailing.

                             The room is very clean for a human eye. Too clean, but still very weird had Andréa seen it. It certainly was, but not to the person who lived in that room. Beside the first window, on the cherry wood table, two letters are lying, one on top of other.

_Samantha! I just hope your dad gives permission. As you asked, I made my dad write to yours to invite you for the party. I know he has mentioned the date and time, but still, the party's on _**twenty-fifth**_ of _**august, **_and you've to arrive by _**6:30**** (P.M.) **_at any cost. And this is a fancy dre-_

The rest of the letter was hidden by another written in hurried cursive writing.

_Jenny, hi._

_I've got David's invitation, and Sienna's got it too. So, now you say that we should probably go together. I agree, or else there's no way Sienna will be able to go to Godric's Hollow. So, as you say, we'll be there by 6 at your house. My mum will drop us there, and I'll be coming in a purple ball dr-_The rest of the letter, and the sentence was hidden under a mane of long, silky brown hair lying open, the clip containing them almost coming undone. The owner of these admirable hairs, a tween girl of twelve, was sleeping in an awkward position. Her one hand was hanging loosely by her side while the other was supporting her head on the table. Her hairstyle was getting spoiled, she was getting sweaty in this august heat and she was frowning in her sleep at the wailing of the child sounding in her ears from her open window.

Just as the girl's mother comes hurrying out of her house in her apron, someone knocked on the door.

The girl did not react.

Another knock. A voice. "Jenny?"

No reaction.

The voice again. "Jen-No, Veronica! We should wait-

But the door was already opening. A second later, two girls were standing in the room, one of them looking around curiously, the other frowning at the girl sleeping at the table beside the window.

"She invites us here, and then falls asleep." Veronica said sarcastically, and moved forward, towards the sleeping girl.

"Wake up!" she said, shaking her.

"Veronica! Be gentle!" Sienna said reprovingly as she pushed Veronica's hand away and kept her's gently on the girl's shoulder.

"Jenny?" she said "Get up, Jenny."

Almost as if she has received an electric shock, Jenny gave a scream of surprise and pain and shot up.

"What?!" she asked Sienna, clutching the sole of her feet. "What bit me?"

"Bit you?" Sienna said.

"Yes, just now, bit my feet…"

 "Actually, I think, safety pins don't bite, they prick." Veronica said thoughtfully as she pinned one in the inside of her dress.

"You pricked me with a pin!"

"To wake you, you were not getting up, now come on, don't spoil the mood, and change this clip of yours; I think it's going to break supporting your hair." Veronica said all this in one go.

Sienna opened her mouth to speak, but just then, there was a knock.

Jenny went to answer it. It was her mother. Just as she opened the door, the clip clutching her hair broke, and her hair cascaded down to her face, covering all of it comically.

"Whoa!" Mrs. Jones said "That's a really nice hairstyle sweetie, but I don't think it suits your Celestina Warbeck robes."

"You are Celestina Warbeck?!" Veronica repeated.

"Who is Celestina Warbeck?" Sienna asked

"She's the new singing sensation of the wizarding world now a days." Mrs. Jones answered, waving her wand at Jenny's hair from the back. Immediately, they sprang back in there original position, Mrs. Jones took out her own clip from her hair and clasped it on them.

"That's better." Jenny said, inspecting her hair in the mirror of bathroom.

"So," she said, as she emerged "What are you both dressed as?"

"Well," Veronica said, looking down at herself "I'm dressed as Cinderella. Will you shut up?" she added angrily to Sienna as she doubled up in silent laughter.

 "Why are you laughing?" Jenny asked as Sienna sobered herself.

"It's kind of,…Veronica, _Cinderella_?" she started laughing again.

"I still don't get it." Jenny said, offering them seats on the sofa.

"Never mind that." Veronica said irritably as she sat down.

"What are you?" Jenny asked Sienna

"I, I couldn't be much, so, um, I'm a muggle girl." She put her hands above her, opening her arms widely.

"That's different." Jenny remarked, trying to lessen Sienna's embarrassment "I bet no one would've thought being something that simple and brilliant."

"Come on girls, it's time to leave!" Mrs. Jones called from downstairs.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Who knew so many people will be coming?" Veronica said, as they stepped in that small looking house.

Sienna gasped. "This didn't look so spacious from the outside!" She said, staring around the wide place.

"That's the point with magic." Jenny said as an elf bowed them in.

"Not bad for a teen party!" Veronica said, looking at the arrangements.

There was orchestra playing in one corner of the hall, but nobody was playing it, the accordions, the violins, and the chaloes were playing on there own. A brass trumpet was blowing loudly and swinging on the tune. In the middle of all the instruments, a young boy of around fifteen was sitting on stool, singing a type of song that Jenny had never heard before.

"He's singing jazz!" Sienna exclaimed.

"What is Jazz?" Jenny asked.

"It's the new style of music in the muggle world." Veronica answered.

"How come he's singing jazz? It's muggle music!"

"David's mother is muggle born, and she prefers muggle music." Came a voice behind them.

"Hello, Timothy!" Sienna said.

"Hi." He smiled at all of them in return.

"If David's mother prefers muggle music, then is that a muggle?" Jenny asked.

"No, he's Myron, he's wizard." Timothy answered, taking them away from the band "He works in the Leaky Cauldron, and David's mum happened to hear him sing while he was washing the dishes."

"Dishes are washed in the back kitchen." Sienna observed "How come she heard him there?"  
"Well, the Abbotts are some distant relatives of the barman of Leaky, you know, Tom?" He asked.

Jenny, Veronica, and Sienna said together, "Yes."

"So she went to visit him and heard Myron in the kitch-here he comes." He added, waving at some one behind their back.

 It was David. He was wearing robes of deep red and golden. His hair were long and an old looking hat was resting on his head.

"What are you?" Veronica asked as he drew nearer.

"Godric Gryffindor." He answered and then smiled at Jenny. "You look good. What are you?"

"Celestina Warbeck with a sore throat." Veronica answered and all of them burst out laughing. 

"The cake's going to be wheeled out after five minutes." David informed them as he offered them seats. "They should be here by now." He added to himself.

"Who?" Sienna asked.

"James and Sirius." He said, standing on his toes to look above the crowd.

Veronica choked on her glass of pumpkin juice. "You didn't tell me!"

"Tell what?" He asked

"That James Potter is also going to come to your party!"

"What would you have done if he had told you?" Jenny asked irritably

"I wouldn't've dressed in a riffy dress like this!" she said, holding up her ball dress.

"Never mind, you look good enough." Sienna said, before rolling her eyes at Jenny.

                                 The party was good. Potter and Black did arrive, to Jenny's irritation, both wearing simple black bow ties, and coat. Potter looked fine; Black looked handsome and haughty as ever. Charlotte and Torien kept giggling through the party and shooting covet looks at him. Sirius Black smiled at Jenny, she also just managed to return a weak smile.

David kept trying to ask her to dance with him and made Myron sing a song three times continuously in a row when she said that it was nice.

Timothy asked Veronica to dance with her, but they soon came back, Timothy looking bored and Veronica grumpy.

The games were fun. The best was where they had to put their hand in a basket covered from top and eat such flavours of Every Flavour Bean that Jenny had never heard of them before. She was sure they were made on order. James Potter got a cow dung one. Jenny laughed loudly at his face.

Finally just before the party ended, a photographer appeared out of no where and asked them to sit down wherever they were for a photo. This took a good forty minutes. Half the time people did not understand why they were being hauled down. Most of them kept trying to go to the washroom to see whether their hair were right.

Just as jenny was sitting down, she felt the clip holding her hair wobble a little.

"Oh no." she said.

"What?" Sienna asked, setting a strand of hair behind her ear.

The photographer was yelling, "D fotoo will be on d count of d'ree,"

"I think, my, my hair, they are..." Jenny said, looking at the cameraman at his weird accent.

"Your hair what?" Veronica asked.

"Twoo," the photographer yelled. David came and sat down hurriedly beside Jenny. She returned his smile weakly.

"Going to fall…." She said to herself as the photographer yelled "D'REE!"

And, in accordance with his yell and the flash of the camera, Jenny's clip burst open, her hair cascaded down to her face, covering it comically, just like in her room.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Oh god, this is the best photograph I've ever seen!" Veronica said, wiping a tear out of her eye. Timothy nodded, clutching his stomach, laughing.

"But, but, I didn't knew that photos can move here," Sienna said, examining the photo with a curious air, smiling at Jenny in the photo.

"Now, come on guys, stop laughing, it's not all that funny!" David said, observing Jenny, who had not smiled in the least since he had shown all of them the photograph.

"You know, you should keep it intact as a memory, to remember what happened at your fourteenth birthday party." Torien said, giggling as the Jenny in the photo frowned and tried to move her hair away from her face.

Suddenly, Jenny sprang up from her seat. Everyone fell quite. She took the handle of her trunk in her hand from under her seat, and pulled it out roughly.

Then she straightened up, flicked a strand of hair from infront of her eyes, and took a deep breath. Everyone around was watching her with bated breath. Sienna, Charlotte, Torien were looking at her as if for the first time. Veronica was frowning, David looked apprehensive, and Timothy impressed.

 "Can I ask what are you-" Veronica started, but Jenny cut across her.

"I'll be in Professor Slughorn's compartment." She said, looking at Torien, then Sienna, then Charlotte, then David. "Okay?" she said to him, but did not wait for his reply. Sliding the door open, she wheeled her trunk outside, and then-SLAM-

"Okay." David said in a small voice.   

"Boy! She's something!" Timothy said, letting out a breath.

"What do you mean?" Sienna, Charlotte, and Torien asked together.

"Yes, what _do_ you mean?" David asked, looking at him in the eye, rather menacingly.

"Er," Timothy said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As soon as she slammed the door shut, she felt like going back that very instant. In anger, she had left her friends, but now which compartment does she go? Come to think of it, there is nothing like 'Professor Slughorn's Compartment' in Hogwarts Express.

'Come on, there must be an empty cabin somewhere.' She told herself, and moved forward, wheeling her trunk behind her.

The first one was full of seventh year girls. The second one had Slytherins. The third one consisted of a fiercely kissing couple who did not even notice that she had poked her head in, blushed red, muttered a small sorry, and then scarpered. When the next time she reached a compartment, she knocked. There was silence first, then footsteps, and the door slided open to reveal James Potter.

"Hello, Jones." He said, looking at her in surprise. "Are you here to call someone? Is Evans calling me?"

"Um, no, I don't even know where she's sitting.-" she started, but James Potter asked bluntly "Then why are you here?"

Jenny turned pink. "I, er, I guess I ………." She said, looking up but faltered when her eyes landed on someone else in the compartment.

A handsome boy with a haughty look on his face, was sitting beside the window, hands holding a magazine. His raven hair were combed neatly, quite opposite to what she had seen on his face usually.

"You?" she said, staring at the boy. He raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"What happened to you?" she asked

"What has happened to me?" he asked back, raising both the eyebrows.

"You were fine a few days back!" Jenny said, moving past Potter to get a better look at the boy.

"When did you see me?" He asked

"Last weekend, at David's birthday party!" she answered incredulously.

"I didn't go there." He said

"Yes, you did. And you met me too. And you were fine, not, not, not shrunken!" she finished.

James Potter laughed, but he was not the only one.

"He's not _shrunk_." Sirius said from the doorway, from between his laugh.  "That's the way he is, now." He added, at the look at the face of the boy beside the window.

Jenny looked at Sirius. Then she looked at the boy. She looked at Sirius again, and then again at the boy.

"Are you both brothers?" she asked slowly.

"Good," Sirius said, smiling at her "you were quite fast."

"Well, there's no reason not to be fast, you both are quite similar." Potter said.

"Anyway," Sirius said, smiling at jenny and looking at her in the eye, (she immediately averted hers) "meet my brother; Regulus." 


	12. Chapter 12

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****IN NO WAY**** WOULD VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**I HATE THE COLOUR ****BURGUNDY******

"Hello." Regulus put his hand forward.

"I'm Samantha Jones." She said, shaking it.

"Fiona Jones' daughter?" He asked, raising both eyebrows in question.

Jenny was taken aback at the immediate bluntness of his question. Earlier too, people had recognized her, asked her if she really was Fiona Jones' daughter, but she had never before felt awkward answering them. Awkward in the sense as if she knew somehow Regulus would not be asking it, she felt as if confirming the fact that she had long brown hair.

"Er, Yes." She said

He held her gaze for a moment, studying her, observing her shrewdly, then smiled and withdrew his hand to his magazine again.

"Where do you think you'll get sorted into?" He asked again, the immediate bluntness even blunter "Gryffindor?" he asked, looking at his brother who was standing in the doorway, laughing about something with James Potter.

"I won't be sorted." Jenny smiled "I'm a second year Ravenclaw."

"Really?" he looked surprised "I thought you were-"

"Samantha!"

She turned. Standing infront of the door, looking completely shocked, was Lily Evans.

"What are you doing here?" she asked her, looking at her with a mixture of suspicion and alarm.

"Er," Jenny said "I just wanted a compartment for myself…"

"And you came here?" Lily said, raising an eyebrow at her incredulity "_You came in Potter's compartment?"_

"Someone took my name?" James Potter said from the doorway. Lily ignored him.

"You want a compartment for yourself," she said "then come with me to mine. Come on."

Jenny turned to the younger Black boy to say bye, see you later, or something like that (only because, to her, he seemed civil) but he had already busied himself in his magazine.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Where _have_ you been?" Sienna asked as Jenny joined the Gryffindor table.

"We are sorry." David said in between, looking very sorry indeed "We won't make fun of you again." He nudged Veronica, who was looking at the bunch of first years now standing in front of the ragged hat on the stool.

"Hey look-there's this..." she said, pointing at someone but Sienna cleared her throat, and Veronica looked at her. "What?" Sienna raised her eyebrows. Veronica then looked at Jenny, who was busily staring at the bunch of first years waiting to be sorted.

"I am sorry too, Jenny." She said "Although I think you should check your temperamental anger." She added.

Jenny opened her mouth angrily but at the same time, the hat started its song.

                                                                          As the hat finished its song, the hall filled with the sound of clapping. Professor McGonagall stepped infront of the first years and addressed them-

"When I will call out your name, you will sit on the stool, put the hat on, and wait for it to announce your house."

She then opened a long roll of parchment.

"Black, Regulus!"

"I've met him." Jenny whispered, all of them looked surprised. "When?" David asked as Regulus moved forwards and put the hat on his head.

"He looks exactly like Sirius." Veronica whispered, looking at him. Jenny noticed he had shut his eyes.

There was silence for a moment, and then the brim of the hat opened and shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

The table behind Gryffindor erupted with cheers. Sirius Black opened his eyes and joined in the applause, though Jenny thought it was rather reluctant. People around him were asking, "Is that your brother, Sirius?", "You cousins or what?"

 "How come he went in Slytherin when his elder brother is in Gryffindor?" Sienna asked

"It's not necessary that siblings will be in the same house. Depends on your nature." David said, clapping, as 'Connors, Abigail' got sorted in Hufflepuff.

"Anyways," Veronica said, as a pale looking 'Diwan, Aditi' sat on the stool, the hat covering her till her shoulder length jet black hair "mum bought me that new broom-shooting star," "Wow!" David said "and I am going to try out for the team."

Just then, the hat announced-"RAVENCLAW!"

"What?" Jenny asked, clapping loudly for the new Ravenclaw.

"I said," Veronica said as Aditi took off the hat and walked towards the Ravenclaw table with a rather weak expression on her face "that mum has bought me the new broom, shooting star and I'm going to try out for the team."

"That's great!" Jenny said, clapping loudly with the Gryffindor table to welcome its new member.

"I want to try out too." Sienna said. "For my team, I mean."

"Then talk to the Gryffindor Captain, Lisa, I think, if there's any need for a new player."

"Even if there is, I can't play." Sienna whispered as Dumbledore got up to speak.

"Why?" Veronica asked. Jenny noticed Sienna looking uncomfortable.

"Because, because I can not afford a broomstick right now." She said this quickly, before Dumbledore entered the main stream of his speech. David stared at Dumbledore. So did Timothy, though his eyes looked troubled. Veronica, too, stared at Dumbledore, though she took Sienna's hand in her's and gripped it tightly.

"Don't worry." She said, when Dumbledore had told all of them to "Tuck in!" "One day, you'll be Gryffindor Captain."

Sienna gave her a grateful smile.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Okay, so, when I'll put this, in the Esscencia…" Siena said, stirring the potion in her cauldron after adding two powdered beetles in it.

"A brownish red vapor will rise……" Jenny said, while staring at Torien Gemini's potion, which was smoking red flames.

"Then you put a pinch of bryweediam…" Veronica said, adding it to her own cauldron.

"The book says that the potion should now resemble the color burgundy." Sienna said, squinting at the text of her book in the smoke issuing from her cauldron.

"But mine doesn't!" Veronica said, after stirring her potion.

"Mine's done." Sienna said, looking at her's.

"Good, now put some in this phial and deposit it on Professor Slughorn's table." Jenny said, giving her one.

"Jenny, tell me, what should I do to make this color potion right?" Veronica said, eyeing the bald head of Slughorn drawing nearer to their table in the back.

 "Sorry, I can't do that." Jenny said, trying to appear very interested in the potion of Quirell, who was sitting on the table next to theirs.

"What?" Veronica asked, as Slughorn moved to the next table of the Hufflepuffs, Jacob Smith and Karl Beryl.

"That would be cheating." Jenny said, turning to face Veronica "And we can't do that."

"Oh come on, Jenny, no body will come to know!" Veronica said as Sienna came back after depositing her phial.

"Nobody will come to know what?" she asked          

"I'm asking her to help fix my potion, and she says she can't do it!" Veronica answered "Come on, you helped Sienna too!"

Jenny opened her mouth but Sienna started first "She did not help me!" she said

"She did!" Veronica said hotly "Didn't she tell you that 'brownish red vapor' thing?"

"Yes she did!" Sienna answered, as Jenny opened her mouth once again. "But she only told me what color vapor will rise, not what to put in my potion to make that color vapor rise!"

"Okay fine, she didn't help you!" Veronica said as Quirell got up from his seat to submit his glass phial "But she can help me!"

"No I can not." Jenny said finally. "Maybe you have not been listening, Veronica, but Professor Slughorn said in the starting of the class that only those phials will be tested which have not been made by cheating."

"And how does Sluggy manage that?" Veronica asked

"It's a simple charm," Jenny said quickly "teachers usually do it, like last year, in the Herbology exam, Professor Sprout made us…."

"Okay, okay, I get the idea!" Veronica said angrily, and then grabbing a phial began scooping her potion into it with an irritated expression on her face.

Jenny glanced at Sienna, who shrugged.

"Now come on, don't get pissed off!" Jenny said, trying to cheer Veronica up. Sienna started at her choice of words. Veronica did not notice anything; she kept scooping up her potion.

"Give that to me." Jenny said, once Veronica had corked the phial shut. "I'll deposit it on the table for you." Veronica handed her the phial petulantly, handing it with extra force.

Jenny got up from her seat to cross the ten foot distance to the teacher's desk. Just as she was in the middle of the room, there was a collective intake of breath and Quirell nearly squashed her as he retreated, the back of his head in her face.

"Watch where you are going!" Jenny said, trying to keep her face away from his weird smelling hair.

Sienna called suddenly "Jenny!"

Quirell hurried away from her, nearly knocking her in the face as Veronica and Sienna called together-"Jenny!"

She turned, alarmed at the urgency in their voice, but as luck would have it, tripped on the hem of her robes in her haste, and fell headlong on the floor.

"Ouch!"

Then Slughorn's panicked voice. "Oh my lord! How the hell did you-get back all of you! IT'S GOING TO BURST!"

Jenny scrambled up, taking the support of a desk while getting up, and looked up, to see what was going on, and stared into something that she definitely didn't wanted to be so close to.

"JENNY!" "KEEP DOWN, SAMANTHA!" "JENNY, GET AWAY!"

 …… .…………………………………………………………………………………………………

"This color really suits you." Veronica said, sniggering.

"Shut up." Jenny said, touching her cheek dejectedly.

"Can't you _see_?" Sienna said angrily from her left side.

"I had tripped." Jenny said, staring at herself in the mirror in front of her.

"At the perfect time." Veronica said, lying down with her elbow propped on a pillow.

"How would I have known that that stupid Torien Gemini could not even make a simple strengthened color potion and will instead make her cauldron burst?" Jenny snapped.

"Well, I just hope Madam Pomfrey has a cure to this." Sienna said, peeking in the mirror to look at Jenny's face.

Jenny put the mirror down. "What do you mean?" she said, panick written clearly in her red face. "Is this something incurable?"

"Of course not!" Veronica answered "But I think, maybe the reverse strengthen color potion may not be there, it's quite time taking to make."

Jenny glanced nervously towards Madam Pomfrey's office door.

"Don't worry." Sienna and Veronica said together.

"As soon as you wash your face with reverse color potion, you will have your original skin color back." Veronica assured her.

Jenny glanced at Veronica's hair before looking at her face in the mirror again. "You have done that, right?" she asked her

"Done what?" Veronica asked

"Used a color potion on your hair?"

"Yeah I have." Veronica answered "And I have also used the reverse one." She said, touching her now sand color haired.

"How many times have you changed your hair color?" Sienna asked in amazement. "And what is your original hair color?"

Veronica touched her shoulder length hair. "This is it. I mean my original hair color." She added at Jenny's confused expression.

"Why did you color your hair nut brown anyway?" Sienna asked, now staring at her blonde hair in the mirror "I'll never do mine."

"That's because you don't have a mother who thinks of you as her guinea pig." Veronica said

Jenny and Sienna's eyes met for a second, then both looked away.

Nobody spoke for a minute. Then, the door of the hospital wing opened.

"Come on now, are you expecting me to _support_ you inside?" a sarcastic voice said

Jenny, Veronica, and Sienna all straightened up. (Jenny hid her face behind the hand mirror)

A handsome boy half supporting, half trying to push away from himself a boy smaller than him and, at the same time trying to continue shouldering his broom  staggered into view. Jenny's eyes appeared on top of the hand mirror.

"Where's the, the, _oh Cattermole, stand on your feet_!" Regulus Black hissed to the boy beside him.

"What do you want?" Veronica asked bluntly

Regulus Black looked up to her face. He looked like a haughty young lord who had just happened to find a speck of dirt on his shoe.

"Madam Pomfrey." He replied shortly

"Why?" Veronica asked, curiously staring at the boy he was supporting. Sienna shot a 'don't ask too many questions' look at her.

"Are you her assistant?" He asked coolly.

Veronica flushed a little. "No." she said, staring into his blue-grey eyes. "Just an accomplice with my friend here." She pointed at Jenny, who immediately hid her face completely behind the mirror.

Regulus Black looked at her. Then he asked "Why is she hiding her face?"

"Well, this _is_ hospital wing." Veronica replied "And people usually come here to fix something right with them." Sienna shot her another look "And if she's hiding her face, this means that something's not right with-(Jenny coughed)-it"

Regulus Black stared at her for a moment. Then, he looked at Sienna who gave him a half a smile.

"Anyways," he said and dumped the boy called Cattermole in the bed opposite Jenny's "if Madam Pomfrey comes and you're still here," he said, brushing his robes and speaking to Sienna "tell her that he fell from his broomstick from over twenty feet." Just as he was about to move, Madam Pomfrey's door opened and she walked in hurriedly.

"You!" she said, pointing at Regulus with a piece of paper "Go get me this from Professor Slughorn quickly!" He left immediately, leaving the broom stick lying on the bed beside Jenny's.

"What are you all doing here?" She barked at Sienna and Veronica, as Regulus Black shut the door behind him.

"We came with her." Sienna said immediately, before Veronica opened her mouth.

"Ah, yes, Jones." Madam Pomfrey bustled over to her and grabbed the mirror away to see her face "The strengthen colour potion was not properly made, which has resulted in these small warts on your cheek,"

"I have warts on my cheek!" Jenny repeated in a panicked voice and quickly picked the mirror up again. Madam Pomfrey forced it down. "No need to worry." She said, in a business like voice "Once your face loses this red colour, I'll vanish those warts."

"What if they reappear?" Jenny asked in a worried voice, trying to pick the mirror again to see her face.

"They won't." Madam Pomfrey said "When the boy gets me the Armidiya from Professor Slughorn, I'll put it in the potion that I am preparing insi-who's that lying there?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A whole hour had passed. Veronica and Sienna had been shooed away by Madam Pomfrey ("Don't you two have classes to attend?"). Even that Cattermole boy had woken and left the hospital wing. But Regulus Black had not arrived yet. Madam Pomfrey had peeped outside her office from time to time to see if he had arrived or not. Jenny was starting to feel irritated. Her stomach was rumbling, it was nearly dinner time, the warts on her face had gotten harder in the last hour (according to her), she had missed double transfiguration, and was nearly about to miss dinner and still the Regulus boy was not there.

Jenny touched her cheek once again. The warts only seemed harder. With a frown on her face, she lyed down. Where is he? Why hasn't he got the Armidiya? She wants it for her face. But she also wants a chocolate sundae. But Sienna and Veronica are saying they finished it all. And suddenly she is running in the Hogwarts ground from the Cattermole boy who is flying above her on a broomstick, asking her to stand still so that he can fall on her…………..

A hand reached out and pulled aside her hair. She yawned sleepily and opened her eyes. And as soon as she did, she screamed and hid her face in the pillow.

"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you." Regulus Black said, as he too, stumbled back, shocked at her shriek.

Madam Pomfrey burst in through her office. "So?" she said, as soon as she saw him "You are here. Back so soon, aren't you?"

"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, but I had detention this evening and bringing you Armidiya slipped from my mind."

"What do you mean, slipped?" Madam Pomfrey asked

Jenny asked "Evening? Is-is this night?" Regulus Black nodded

"This is night!" she looked at her wrist watch, it said '11:35' "This is night!" she repeated again, her voice rising "_Night_! And my face has not been cleaned yet!" she looked at Madam Pomfrey who answered "You were asleep. I thought it would be better to let you sleep. But why didn't you bring Armidiya?" she asked Black, who said "I told you, Madam, getting you Armidiya slipped from my mind, but don't worry, I just told Professor Slughorn and he'll be here with the reverse strength-something potion." He added, as Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth.

"Go to your dormitory now." She said, pointing at the door "And Ms. Jones, I think Professor Slughorn will be here in a few minutes, you can lye down if you want to."

Regulus Black looked around the hospital wing. "May I know where is the broomstick which I had brought here?"

"Yes!" Madam Pomfrey said "What do you think of this place as boy, quidditch field? Leaving a broomstick in the hospital wing! If you don't know how to behave in this school, you'll be getting detentions every day!" she continued to grumble as she went inside. Regulus turned to Jenny.

"You are..Samantha, right?" he asked

"Right." She answered half-heartedly.

"What happened to your face?" he asked. Jenny went red (literally).

"Er, we were making a colour potion in class, and…"

"You spilled some on your face?" he asked, smiling.

"No!" she said, going even redder "A girl made it wrong and made her cauldron burst instead! And I was just nearby and the whole thing bursted just near my face!"

"Really?" he asked, sitting down on the bed infront of hers "Then why is there no one else who's red in the face?"

Jenny flushed deeper. "I told you. I was the only one who happened to be there. A few people did get a few drops on their hair. And that was because they were under their desks and-"

'What I think," Regulus Black interrupted "that you were the girl who blew up her cauldron, and now you are feeling ashamed in admitting it……."

"Excuse me!" Jenny said "_I_ know perfectly well how to make a strengthen colour potion, and…"

The door of the hospital wing banged open. For a moment the person standing there stood still in the doorway, Regulus and Jenny stared at him, then David came forward in the light.

"David!" Jenny shrieked and hid her face once again in the pillow, this time covering her head with the blanket too.

"What happened? Who shrieked?" Madam Pomfrey came running out of her office, looking very odd with the broomstick in her hand.

"She did." Regulus pointed at Jenny "And thank you Madam, for the broomstick." He added, pushing forward one hand to take the broomstick.

"You learn how to behave in the hospital wing!" She said "I'm leaving you today, but next time, I won't be returning your broomstick if you leave it in here again!"

"This isn't mine." He murmured as he took the broomstick. Then shouldering it, he looked at Jenny, who was covered completely in the blanket. "See you later when you are colour less."

Smirking, he left.

"Why was he talking to you like that?" David asked, staring at the now shut door.

"Never mind him, why are you here?" Madam Pomfrey asked

"I, well, um, She's my friend, and…I just came to know from Sienna…"

The door banged open once again and Professor Slughorn hurried forward inside in his emerald green silk night suit.

"There you are Poppy." He said, shaking a bottle for her to see "Here," he said giving her the bottle "this is the reverse colour potion that you wanted." Then he turned to the mass of blanket and said kindly "Samantha, I have brought you the reverse colour potion, you'll have your skin colour back soon!"

Jenny managed a small, diminished "Thank you." from under the blankets. David shook his head.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was  Saturday. By the time Jenny reached her dormitory, (Madam Pomfrey had insisted that she spend the night there) Veronica had already left. Feeling a little hurt, she left the Ravenclaw tower to look for them. David saw her entering the Great hall, and hurried to be with her.

"How are you?" He asked, sitting down beside her on the Ravenclaw table.

"Colour-less." She said, looking at the Gryffindor Table for Sienna. "Have you seen Sienna and Veronica since the morning?" she asked, putting a bacon sandwich onto her plate.

"I saw Sienna talking," David said, helping himself with a bacon sandwich. "or rather, arguing with Timothy this morning in our common room."

"Arguing?" Jenny said, filling her glass with pumpkin juice "With Timothy?"

"That's what it looked like." David said, munching his bacon sandwich "But I don't know on what, I was in a hurry, had to use the toilet," He added at Jenny's questioning eyes. "and by the time I came out, they had left."

"Samantha!" someone called.

Jenny turned, and saw Charlotte and Torien coming over to Ravenclaw table from Gryffindor with a Gryffindor girl of their year.

"Samantha, I am so sorry." Torien said, sitting down opposite her, and pushing her hand to clasp hers "I did not do it deliberately, you know, it just happened, and I still don't know how I did…."

"Never mind, it was pure accident." Jenny said, trying to quickly go back to her breakfast.

"What did you get?" The Gryffindor girl asked.

"When?" Jenny asked, trying to remember what she was talking about.

"Didn't your friends tell you?" She asked

"Tell me what?"

The three girls exchanged a look. Then, Charlotte began to speak "Well, after you left the class, and all the mess was cleared, Professor Slughorn tested all the potions, and, yours was the only one there which was made right. So, he decided to give you some prize for it."

David said, "Good!" but Jenny said "What about Sienna?"

"What about her?" the Gryffindor girl asked

"Well, she also made it right, didn't she?" Jenny asked "Her potion was the exact colour as described in the book."

"The colour was," Torien said "But the thickness wasn't. We had to make a strengthen colour potion."

"Oh, yes."

"So, Great potioneer!" David said, after the three girls left the table "Let's go collect your prize."

"I don't feel like taking all these stairs." Jenny said, standing in the entrance hall, and looking at the marble stairs with no enthusiasm.

"Come on," David said, taking her hand and taking her with him "I know a shortcut."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was a very dimly lit corridor. Jenny could tell that it was very rarely used, and that too not by everyone, the state of the carpets beneath the rosewood tables they crossed was telling that.

"David?" she said

"Hm?"

"Not every one knows about this shortcut, right?"

David laughed. "Yes." He said, smiling at her as they kept walking "Not everyone knows about this."

"How do you know?" Jenny asked after a few minutes "From your father?"

"No, my father would never tell me even if he knew about it." David said "According to him, I'm already very trouble making."

"That's not you," said Jenny "that's Potter. But from whom did you come to know about it? Some Teacher?"

"No, no teacher." David glanced at Jenny "Potter told me."

Jenny stopped immediately. David stopped, too.

"James Potter." She said, looking into his eyes. "James Potter told you?"

David nodded. Somehow, this new side of her scared him a little bit. He remembered the timid Samantha he had met one year ago. This new found personality of hers was the result of her friendship with Sienna, a Gryffindor, and Veronica, a Ravenclaw with perfect Gryffindor traits. But at the same time, this new personality of hers attracted him all the more, pulling him towards her like a magnet.

Jenny turned abruptly in the opposite direction and David's stream of thought was lost. 

"Samantha!" he called after her, as she turned into another corridor, mistaking it for the one from which they had come. "Samantha what happened?"

"I am not doing anything that has anything to do with Potter!" She said, her angry voice reverberating in the lonely corridor.

"But this is only a shortcut!" David said, following her as she again started walking.

"How do you know that it is allowed to use this shortcut?" She asked, turning left.

"Samantha! Do you even know where you are going?" David asked loudly as he too, turned left after her.

'I don't care!" Jenny said, now literally jogging in her anger with David on her heel. "As long as this place opens up to some valid part of school, I'll keep-David!"

David had seized her from the arm and made her stop in front of a tapestry of baboons playing poker.

One of the baboons looked up from the game as David started speaking.

"Look," He said "don't be angry, if you don't want anything to do with Potter, I'll remember that, and now, if you want to leave this shortcut, I'll let you away, don't just-" he broke off, when he heard two angry voices.

"Now how could I have helped?"

"Yes you did! What about your owl which you had given to her?"

"Oh come on! I never knew that she would be using it to send love-letters!"

"Don't lie! You also helped her run away!"

"Reg! You should feel happy that she has married someone she really loved, not like Bellatrix, marrying a man old enough to be her uncle-"

"Don't say anything about Bella! She's the best! Do you know she is serving the-"

"I know everything! And don't shout about it like it's something to be proud of, it's a big shame, my cousin a-" A boy walked out of the tapestry and immediately stopped speaking. The baboons playing poker were yelling, and making angry faces at him as the tapestry was upset once again as another boy, smaller in size, but similar in features walked out of it.

"Did I disturb you guys?" Sirius asked, smiling snidely.

Jenny glared at him, David turned red. Just then, Regulus spoke.

"What are you doing here with him?" He asked Jenny, pointing at David.

Jenny was so taken aback at the demanding bluntness in his tone that she did not answer immediately. But David did.

"What do you mean?" He said, facing him "Why can't she be here with me? And even if she is, who are you to object?"

"Yes, it looks like we _did_ disturb them." Sirius said, smiling at Jenny "Come on, Reg, lets leave the couple, find another passage to continue our fight." Smirking, he took his brother by his arm, and started walking towards the end of the corridor where another tapestry hung. Reg kept looking back, staring at Jenny as if he couldn't believe she had that side too.

"Girls are not supposed to wander alone with boys like that!" he shot at her, the last of his words echoing as Sirius pulled him in the passageway behind the tapestry.

"What does he think he is?" David asked, eyes narrowed in anger, staring at the place where his head had been.

"Forget him and let's get out of here." Jenny said, moving towards the tapestry. The baboons, seeing that she was moving towards them, started yelling and brandishing their fists at her.

"I know this way. Comes out a little before the dungeons." David said, entering behind her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The passage came out before the dungeon entrance door, Jenny immediately scrambled out of it. Turning back, she saw that the door was a tapestry, hiding its secret entrance.

"I'm going outside." David said "Want to come?"

"No," Jenny said, running a hand over her hair, which she had not combed. "I want to go take a proper bath, comb my hair…"

"Jenny!"

"Oh, Jenny _where have you been_?"

Jenny turned to see Veronica and Sienna running towards her from the marble staircase.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, bewildered at their behaviour.

"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny!" Veronica took hold of her arms from the side and jumped, making her jump along with her.

"What happened?" David asked

Sienna reached them, panting a little, a broomstick in her hand.

"Jenny-" she panted, smiling and clutching at her chest "Veronica-"

"Jenny, I am in the Ravenclaw team!"  


	13. Chapter 13

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**THAT SURGE OF ANGER**

Veronica had won the position of the third chaser, ("It's the most important one!") and though David was in a different house, he still helped them party out side, with the sandwiches and pasties from the kitchen. Sienna and Veronica kept singing, Jenny laughing with David, and this went on till Timothy arrived, asking them whether they were protesting something.

"Well, it's not that bad either!" he said, ducking, as Sienna threw a chocolate frog on his face. "But really, what happened to make you guys go nuts?"

"Veronica is on the Ravenclaw team!" Jenny said, smiling at him. "I guess you will have to watch out for her, Tim!" Timothy had also recently been chosen in the Gryffindor quidditch team.

"Really?" He asked, looking at her. "What are you? Beater?"

"Chaser." Veronica corrected him, smiling slyly. "I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you on the field, keeper."

" If that girl had agreed to play, you wouldn't have had" Timothy said, sitting down on the grass with them "There was this Peakes girl, Florence...something…."

"Flora." David corrected.

"Yeah, Flora Peakes," Timothy said "she was-("Beautiful," David said, looking at the grass moodily, then immediately looking at Jenny, who did not notice anything)-pretty good, she's a sixth year," he added as Sienna opened her mouth "She saved all the goals, but on the last one, the quaffle went to her face, and, it was, it was a, a bloody sight," he said, his voice lower than usual.

"What happened to her?" Jenny and Sienna asked together.

"Her upper jaw and cheek bone were broken." David said, staring at the golden score hoops in the quidditch field.

"And her nose was completely smashed." Timothy added.

"No!" Jenny said

"Yes." David said, turning back to face her. "But not to worry, Madam Pomfrey mended the broken bones very quickly."

"And her face?" Jenny asked, touching her own.

"The face was set back right again." Timothy answered "But she got scared of what was in the job, said, if the try-outs were like that, what will happen in the matches?"

"Quite right!" Jenny said

"So they got me." He said "After her, I was the only one worth considering, Lisa said, and I agreed immediately."

There was silence as Veronica opened a chocolate frog. Jenny kept looking at Timothy fearfully. Then, Sienna said what she felt.

"I am scared."

David laughed loudly, so did Veronica. Jenny smiled, and a flush crept up Timothy's cheek.

"I am too." He said, trying to smile through his embarrassment "But getting scared will lead me nowhere…I'll have to do it…I'll have to do it for those who expect something from-"

"Timothy," Veronica said, interrupting in between "Are you sure you are going to play a quidditch match, not a battle?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Um, Jenny?" Sienna said, coming back to their seats.

"Did you get the book?" Jenny asked in reply while leafing through a book. It was Tuesday evening after classes, and Jenny and Sienna were in the library, completing their assignment on Gulliver Pokeby, the wizard who interpreted the meaning of Augurey song, and Veronica was in practise.

"Jenny?" Sienna said again.

"What?" Jenny looked up to see Sienna looking apprehensive.

"Um, do you...want to...tell, me something?" Sienna asked, sitting down beside her. As she sat, Jenny saw the back of a boy with lank hair whom she recognised as Severus Snape.

"What happened?" she asked "Did that boy say something to you?" she inclined her head towards Snape's back.

Sienna looked back. "No, not about me. He did not say it, to me, I overheard him, talking to the other boy, Mulciber, I think…."

"What happened?" Jenny asked again.

Sienna took a deep breath and opened her mouth. "Please don't lie to me." She said, looking apprehensive. "I won't be angry at you, but I think, if it's true, you should have told us…"

'What happened?" Jenny asked again, slightly impatient now.

"Are you," Sienna said, but seemed unable to go on.

"Are you what?" Jenny asked

Sienna took another deep breath and opened her mouth again, this time more resolutely.

"Are you d-dating David?"

The question took it's time to sink in. For one whole minute, Jenny kept staring at Sienna, who looked scared.

"Who told you that?" Jenny finally asked

"You are?" Sienna asked, in a tone of mixture of anger, excitement, and happiness.

"No I'm not!" Jenny said, blushing red just at the idea.

"Then why are they talking about your-" Sienna stopped in between, looking apprehensive again, pointing at Severus Snape's back.

"My what?" Jenny asked. Sienna did not answer. "My what, Sienna?"

"Your…kiss." Sienna said, in a small voice.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Anger was surging through her. She was walking quickly, half jogging-half walking. How could he do it? How could he spread such baseless rumours about her and David just because he found them _standing_ in a deserted shortcut. This is the limit! She will not stand this! Spreading baseless rumours about her and David, and that too between the Slytherins!

Sienna was running at her heel.

"Jenny! Jenny! Ouch-sorry! Jenny! Listen to me!"

But Jenny kept on running, turning left, only a few steps from her destination.

"Jenny! Maybe I heard wrong! Maybe they weren't talking about you, or maybe he hasn't done all this!"

"He is the one responsible, Sienna!" Jenny replied, finally coming to a halt. 'I know it is him! Now give the password!" she ordered, pointing at the fat lady.

"How come you know our entrance?" Sienna asked, clutching her side.

"Veronica described it to me in a letter, give the password!"

"I can not do it!" Sienna said, sounding fearful but resolute. "You know I am not allowed to! It is against the rules!"

Jenny stared at her for a moment. She knew Sienna was right, she was not allowed to do such a thing. But Jenny, in her anger, did not want to know. Turning towards the fat lady, who was watching their conversation with rapt attention, she said "Open up."

The fat lady smiled. "I'm sorry, but that's not the password." She said.

"I don't know the password!" Jenny cried "I'm not in Gryffindor! I'm a Ravenclaw!"

"I thought Ravenclaws were smart enough to understand that they have access to only their common-room." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't care! I want to go in!" Jenny said, "I want to get that Sirius Black and tea-"

"What has he done _now_!" The fat lady asked, sitting up straighter in her frame.

"Jenny…" Sienna said quietly, placing one hand on her shoulder.

Jenny was silent for a few seconds as she stared at the fat lady.

"Is he in?" she asked.

"No," The fat lady answered "He left with a group of boys for the grounds-where are you going?" she added, as Jenny sprinted.

"Where are you going?" Sienna repeated, running behind her once again.

"He should be in the quidditch field!" Jenny said, running down the stairs, bumping into someone, and hardly registering it.

"Ouch!" Timothy said, clutching his shoulder "Samantha! Sienna! Where are you going? What hap-"

"Where is Black?" Jenny halted in her run abruptly, Sienna came and crashed into her.

"Which Black?" Timothy asked uncertainly.

"Sirius Black!"

"Out in the grounds-hey where are you going?" He added as Jenny started running again.

"Why did you open your mouth?!" Sienna said angrily to Timothy.

"What happened? Why are you running like this?" Timothy also followed them down.

Landing on the entrance hall floor, Jenny skidded and pushed open the door with both her hands. One second later, Sienna rushed out behind her.

"Jenny! Don't be rash! Talk it out to him! What if he didn't do it?"

"Do –ow- what?" Timothy said, coming running outside after her and colliding into the door.

"Jenny! No!" Sienna cried, running after her as she sprinted towards the end of the ground, towards a group of boys sitting on the grass and laughing.

"Where is she going?" Timothy asked, now running  level with Sienna "What is she going to do?"

"I don't know! Jenny! Have mercy on me and stop running!" she said.

But Jenny kept running. As they neared the boys, their faces became distinguishable. David was sitting with his back to them, Potter was sitting against the bark of a tree, and Sirius Black, waving his wand clumsily in air, was imitating someone, which was getting appreciative laughter from the boys around them. Jenny recognised other members of the Gryffindor quidditch team-Ludo Bagman, Karlos, and there were other boys from Gryffindor too, that were clearly classmates whom Jenny had never seen before.

As she stopped infront of them, Sirius Black turned, and so did David. Black stopped imitating whoever he was imitating, and David jumped up.

"Hello." Black said, twirling his wand mischievously in his fingers. "Come to get him?" he asked, pointing at David with his wand tip.

This initiated a round of laughter and wolf whistles from the boys, aggravating her anger even more. And just as Sienna and Timothy reached her, she plunged her hand inside her robe, and pulled out her wand. Sienna shrieked. "Jenny, what are you doing?!"

The boys fell silent immediately, and abruptly, as Jenny pointed her wand at Sirius Black.

"_Expelliarmus_!"


	14. Chapter 14

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**THE FIRST DETENTION**

A blue light shot out of Jenny's wand, and Sirius' wand was expelled from his hand. Potter jumped immediately, brandishing his own wand, but Jenny was faster than him.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Samantha! What are you doing?!" David shouted.

Other boys were also standing up; taking out their wands, Ludo Bagman took out his casually and pointed it at her. "Are you going to duel us?" and then he opened his mouth but Jenny shouted again-"Expelliarmus!". Ludo Bagman's wand fell ten feet behind him.

All the boys stood up. David took Jenny by her arms, and took her a few steps back. "What is the matter with you?" He said, in a mixture of anger, surprise, and fear. "What happened?" He asked Timothy, who shrugged.

"Hey, Jones!" Black called. Jenny scowled in his direction. "What happened?" he asked. Then, he added, "What did I do?"

"Oh good!" Jenny said, pointing at him with her wand, (Black's eyes fell on it.)

"You do mischief, and then ask innocently, 'What did I do?'! Don't you know what you did?"

"That is what I asked-"

"Listen, Sirius," David said, interrupting in between, "I am really sorry for all this, I apologise from her- and you tell me what happened?" He added to Jenny.

"He found us _standing_," Jenny said, pointing her wand at Black while speaking to David "in a passageway, and he went and told the Slytherins that-"

"Oh no you don't!" Sienna cried suddenly. Jenny turned, saw Sienna shout "Expelliarmus!" at someone, David shouted "Hey! Stop!", Timothy: "No!".

Someone shouted "Rectusempra!" and Jenny doubled up, dropping on her knees, clutching her stomach, laughing.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"A disgrace for Gryffindor!" McGonagall shouted. "And for me!"

They were in her office, standing infront of her desk. They were here because Filch had sent McGonagall at them when he noticed them duelling out in the grounds. McGonagall had arrived, restored order, and then ordered all of them to be in her office as she led Sienna, who had sprouted boils all over her face, and was hiding it by the neck of her robes, to hospital wing. Jenny's face was ashen, her hairs were falling on her face, David was ashen-faced too, and the hair near his head were sieged a little bit. He kept throwing anxious looks at her, as if worried she will answer back to McGonagall. Potter was trying to say something, he opened his mouth several times, but McGonagall never gave him a chance. Ludo Bagman was also there, but he was standing behind Jenny, whispering something to Timothy. Jenny was staring at Black's face, trying to control a strong urge to smack him. Black was shifting his weight again and again; it looked as if he was thinking over something.

"Jones! Are you even paying attention?!" McGonagall barked. Everyone looked at her.

"Er, yes." Jenny said

"No!" McGonagall roared. "You have not been paying attention to what I was saying!" Black glanced at Jenny. "Or else you would have exclaimed at the fifty points I have taken off Ravenclaw!"

"Fifty points!" Jenny exclaimed immediately. Potter grinned.

"Yes, Jones! Fifty points from Ravenclaw and Fifty points from Gryffindor too!" she added, to the boys. This wiped the grin from Potter's face. "And detention!"

Jenny looked up. Her mother's words when she had gone home for Christmas last year were ringing in her ears.

_"Have you got detention yet?" "Fi, what do you mean, Jenny will do something that will make her earn a detention?" _

"Why, Potter, you ask me, why? After duelling a girl two years your junior, and after sprouting boils all over her friend's face, you ask _why you are getting_ _detention?_!"

Nobody asked another question.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The door opened and she rushed in. "How are you?" she asked, sitting down on the foot of her bed, slightly out of breath.

"Fine, you?" Sienna asked. But Veronica interrupted in between.

"What has got into you?!" She asked Jenny. Jenny ignored her.

"The boils are gone, na?" She asked Sienna. "Yeah, but I still have to stay overnight, Madam Pomfrey says-"

"Leave Madam Pomfrey!" Veronica said "What is the matter with you, Jenny?! Why the hell did you go start duelling with guys senior than us, and that too, _Potter and Black?"_

"She did not start duelling." Sienna said "She just expelliarmed some of them. That idiot boy, Peter Pettigrew, started duelling."

"I did not see any Peter Pettigrew over there." Jenny said, trying to remember who Peter Pettigrew was.

"That is because he hid behind the tree trunk when you started expelliarming people." Sienna said.

"But still," Veronica resumed her say "why in the name of Merlin did you go there?"

Jenny turned red. Sienna looked at her, both trying to tell the truth in a non-embarrassing way.

"Er," Jenny said. Veronica threw her hands up in exasperation.

"That's it, 'er,' huh? No particular reason at all?" Jenny took a deep breath.

"Veronica," she said, her cheek going hot "we heard something this evening in the library….."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

That weekend, Jenny bade goodbye to Sienna and Veronica who were sitting in the great hall, arguing over the correct way to pronounce the spell to change animals into wine glasses, a topic they were going to have in the next transfiguration class, and left for the dungeons, where she was to serve detention scrubbing burnt cauldrons clean.

When she reached there, Potter and Black were already there. Potter stared at her as she entered, then smirked and turned his gaze away. Jenny felt hot in the cheeks but nevertheless, went and stood infront of the dungeon door, facing the two. Sirius Black was ignoring her, trying to pay attention to the sounds coming from the grounds. As far as Jenny could tell, the Hufflepuff team was practising.

"When is the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Potter asked Black.

"Two weeks later." Black replied, not looking up from his shoes.

"Today's full moon, right?" he asked suddenly. James raised an eyebrow at him. "Maybe, Sirius." Then he looked at him, as if trying to convey something to him, but Jenny was also looking. As Potter glanced at her, she looked at him too, holding his gaze longer than required.

Their gaze broke off at the sound of coming footsteps. Jenny straightened herself, readying herself for Filch to come and open the dungeon door to let them inside, but instead, someone else did.

"What are you doing here with them?" Regulus Black asked her, stopping abruptly as he turned towards where they stood.

Jenny narrowed her eyes. What is the matter with this boy? Why does he ask her so many questions? And that too, so demandingly as if he was entitled to know all about her business.

"Just passing my free time." She said sarcastically. "What do you think I am doing, standing infront of a room with two regular detentioneers?"

Regulus looked surprised. "You have been given detention?" he asked.

"No, I requested for it." she replied sarcastically.

"What did you do?" He asked further "I thought you were a good girl."

Jenny did not answer him this time. She started thinking about what he had said. He was right, she was a good girl. A good girl who was her teacher's favourite, always top in every assignment and tests, always the first one learn a spell, the best student of her year. Then what happened? Why has she suddenly become so moody, and why was her anger going so out of control?

Her stream of thoughts was broken by the sound of something very high lumbering in front of them.

"Hello, Hagrid." Sirius said.

"Nice to see you again." Potter said, smiling at Hagrid. "What are we doing today, smarting old keys again?"

"Yeh won' change." Hagrid said, his beard twitching at the sight of both of them "Year after year, I always start detention with yeh guys…." He turned and looked at Regulus, who was dumbstruck.

"Always yeh…..hey this must yer little brother!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, he is." Sirius said, smirking.

"Starting a family tradition, eh?" Hagrid boomed, slapping him lightly (according to Hagrid) on the back which felt like a blow to Regulus. "Getting detention first term of school?"

Jenny was sure Hagrid had said that jokingly, in a good natured way, but Regulus' face acquired an ugly colour of red as if he was disgusted by Hagrid as well as by himself for landing up there.

Hagrid's eyes slid to Jenny as he laughed. "Who are you?" He said, squinting to see her properly as she was standing in a particularly darker area. "Have some message for me from Professor McGonagall?"

Jenny's face went hot again. Even Hagrid thought that she wasn't the type to get detentions.

"No, er, Mr. Hagrid…," she said, suddenly stuttering. "I have also been given a,..detention."

All of them looked surprised when she addressed him as 'Mr. Hagrid'. Hagrid did not speak for a moment or two, then his beard twitched. Or, he smiled.

"Are you Fiona McFarlen's daughter?" He asked, squinting at her again.

Jenny felt surprised. Everyone asked her, 'you are Fiona Jones' daughter?' not Fiona McFarlen's.

"How do you know her maiden name?" She asked him, amazed.

"Knew her since her first weekend." He said, then he added "You have her beautiful face." Jenny blushed when he called her beautiful. But wait. He did not call _her_ beautiful, he said she has her _mother's _beautiful face. So he was calling her mother beautiful…..

"Weekend?" Potter repeated curiously.

"She had her first detention with me, too!" Hagrid boomed. His beard twitched even more as he looked at Jenny.

"This is my first detention too." Jenny said, smiling bleakly at the irony of fate.

"Like mother, like daughter." Hagrid said.

"Can we please start with the detention?" Regulus said suddenly, quite loudly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hmm, feeding pus belching slugs dead spiders isn't so bad." Charlotte said, sucking a quill.

"Speak for yourself." Jenny said, smelling her hands. "Oh no, the smell still hasn't gone yet!" She ran towards the bathroom once again to wash her hands.

Torien stared at her back as she whipped out of sight.

Just then, there was a knock on the entrance door. The musical voice rang-"_Which came first, the phoenix or the flame_?"

"I don't know, just open up and let me in!"

Charlotte and Torien stared at each other. What had happened that had made her so angry?

"Oh! Let me in!" She banged on the door.

"Who's that?" A fifth year prefect, wearing glasses who was sitting on the table near one of the windows. Charlotte and Torien kept their mouth shut. "Why is she banging on the door like an illiterate ape?"

"It is Veronica Andrews." Quirell answered, smiling nastily. 'The _new _Ravenclawchaser."

"We should help her." Charlotte said, looking at the way that led to the bathrooms, wishing Jenny was here before she had to do it.

"Don't count me, in 'we'." Torien said, grabbing a quill to suck.

"But Torien, we just can't let-"

"Oh! Isn't there anyone there? Jenny! Jenny!" Veronica shouted from that side.

"Of course there is someone here!" The girl who was prefect called. "But then what is the point of being in Ravenclaw if you are asking people to help you answer a question!"

"Oh, shut up, whoever is speaking!" Veronica shouted from the other side. The girl's face fell. "Jenny! Jenny! Oh, open, oh!"

Then came the sound of something sliding down, and then a small sob.

Charlotte jumped up, scared. What had happened to her? What was that sliding noise?

Just then, Jenny walked in, smelling her hands. A pin drop silence greeted her. She stared around the common room, staring at their frozen faces, all of them turned towards the door.

"Er, what happened?" She asked.

"Samantha!" Charlotte said in a panicked voice. "Veronica, she-she.."

"She what?" Jenny asked, imagining a thousand things that could have happened to her. She might have fallen down her broom, might have been thrown off the quidditch team, broken her neck, or her mother might have come, making her leave school mid session……

"Veronica!" Someone said from the other side of the door. Jenny's head snapped in that direction.

"Veronica, what happened?!"

"Lauren?" a boy in fourth year said uncertainly and moved forward.

"Who's Lauren?" Jenny asked him.

"Ravenclaw Captain," He said, looking at her. When she looked confused, he added "Anthony, His full name is Lauren An-"

"Veronica, what-what happened?" Anthony asked from the other side.

Jenny and Anthony's friend moved forward together.

"I-want to- sleep…" Veronica said weakly, "And the door….can't open…."

Anthony laughed. At the same moment, Jenny opened the door to see that Anthony was sitting on the floor beside Veronica, laughing as, Veronica, on her knees, smiled weakly, brushing her tears away.

Anthony's friend said "Lauren!" and Jenny said "Veronica!"

"Don't worry, she's alright." Anthony said, smiling at Jenny. "Just a little not used to the pressure of the game."

"Oh god, tomorrow is the game! _The_ game!" Veronica said, hiding her face in her hands.

Jenny opened her mouth, "Veronica-" but Anthony put up a hand.

"Veronica," he said, keeping his hand on her shoulder "don't worry about the game."

"How can I not!" She said, her face still hidden in her hands. "You have seen the Hufflepuffs! Their chasers! You should've never chosen me as your new chaser! You should have gone with Querill!"

Behind them, Querill smirked.

"I know what I did." Anthony said, " And I know I did it right, Veronica, you were awesome, the best of the lot, you know you were."

Jenny glanced at Anthony's friend, who was standing in the doorway with her. He looked stunned.

"And if the girl I chose as my team's new chaser is going to throw up just because of nerves," Anthony said "then, I say, Veronica, You are going to waste yourself."

There was a few minutes' silence after this. Then Veronica looked up, face decided.

"Okay, I'll not worry about tomorrow's match." She said.

"Don't think of it as a match, think it is still practise tomorrow." Anthony said. Veronica closed her eyes and nodded.

"Better?" Anthony said. Then he added, "It has to be, because my legs are starting to hurt."

Everyone in the common room, who had been listening, burst out laughing.

Anthony stood up, and offered Veronica his hand. Smiling, she took it and stood up.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was one of those windy days when you did not wanted to be outside, battling with the wind, Jenny thought, as she tied her hair at her neck. But this was Veronica's big game, the game when she will play in front of public for the first time, and Jenny had to go to cheer for her.

"Hi." Sienna said, as they met at the foot of the stairs. "You alright?" she asked Veronica, as they moved towards the great hall.

"Why won't I be?" Veronica said cheerfully, "This is the game I've been waiting for!" Sienna looked sideways at Jenny, asking mutely whether she had been acting odd earlier. Jenny conveyed the message: later.

"Veronica!" Anthony called as they entered the hall, "And my team! Please sit here." He added, pointing to the seats around him.

Jenny sat down with Veronica. Sienna wished her good luck, and then departed for Gryffindor table.

Within minutes, the Ravenclaw team left for the changing rooms, the Hufflepuffs booing, Ravenclaws cheering.

Sienna joined Jenny as the crowd thronged out of the oaken doors of the entrance hall. "How was she?" Sienna asked immediately.

"She was fine today," Jenny said "You saw how she was.."

"Today?" Sienna asked sharply "Why? Did something happen yesterday?"

"Well, yes…" Jenny said, looking behind her and sideways "something did happen.." And she told her.

"Pray everything goes well." Jenny said, taking the stairs for the quidditch stands.

"Why won't it be?" A voice asked her from her left.

She turned in its direction and to her surprise again, it was Regulus Black.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" She asked him irritably as they together took the stairs.

"Well, I can say, curious minds can not be satisfied so easily." He said, smiling at her. Sienna chuckled. "Who's she?" He asked Jenny.

"She's my best friend," Jenny said, getting into the stands, reaching a seat.

"What?" He asked

Jenny looked at him once. Then she looked at Sienna, who was calling out to Timothy to come and sit with her in the seat next to her.

"Sienna, -Regulus Black," Jenny introduced them to each other, once Sienna had sat down "Regulus, -Sienna Dearlove."

"Hello." He put his hand forward, in the same way he had greeted her.

"Hello." Sienna smiled back, but looking at Timothy, who was talking to Remus Lupin. As he withdrew his hand, Jenny noticed a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.

"Welcome, all of you, to the first match of this season!" The commentator boomed. "Not a very suitable day for a match, lots of wind, and maybe, these clouds up there may even bring rain,-I know Anthony is saying this to his team right now," The crowd laughed. "But hey, don't laugh! This is the game of team at No. Two versus team at No. Four! We should not forget that due to Anthony's hard work with his team last year, they became No. Two, with Gryffindor winning the match by just margins! And there's this new chaser too, Andrews, I've heard. Well, we'll see how he plays-"

"She is not a boy!" Sienna shouted, standing up, booing with the other Ravenclaws. "Veronica Andrews! She's a girl!"

"Andrews is a girl, Turpin." McGonagall said. The Slytherins in the crowd laughed loudly.

"Oops, sorry," Turpin corrected himself "I know it's a shame I don't know much about my own house team but let's forget that, here they come!"

The Ravenclaw quidditch team, dressed in blue and bronze walked out amid cheers and boos.

"Captain Anthony-chaser," Turpin introduced on the megaphone "seeker-Brokeckelhurst, beaters-Prakash Patil and Diddius-I love saying that name-keeper- Erquhart, and the last two chasers-Sheena Perkes-and this must be her-Andrews!"

Timothy was yelling, cheering for Veronica. Sienna took Jenny's arm in hers and made her stand up too. Veronica walked out, looking nervous, but she smiled when Timothy, who had bought a strange looking horn, hooped it loudly for her attention.

"She is your friend, too?" Regulus asked.

"Yes." Jenny said, sitting down as the Hufflepuff team entered. "My second best friend."

He started to speak something else, but Jenny shushed him, Mr. Annett had just come in the field to release the balls.

"Shake hands," He said to the Captains. The Hufflepuff Captain, a girl, smiled and shook Anthony's hand.

"There they go!" Turpin boomed into the megaphone. "Hufflepuff chaser Emma with the quaffle-passes to Captain Demitri-intercepted by Anthony-passes to Perkes-MIND THAT BLUDGER!" Perkes dropped the quaffle and dived to avoid the bludger. However, as the Hufflepuff chasers passed the quaffle to each other and changed its direction towards the Ravenclaw goalposts, Anthony intercepted again, but this time he did not pass it to Sheena Perkes.

"And now Andrews has the quaffle." Turpin said "she's flying quite fast-oh! That's due to the shooting star she is riding!-Quite good flier too, she is-look! She's avoided the bludger by Tenesse; she's going to-SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO RAVENCLAW!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Repeat after me,-_Ferravareto._"

The whole class said together-_Ferravareto_

They were in Transfiguration, learning how to transfigure animals into water goblets.

"Once again-loud and clear!" McGonagall dictated.

"Ferravareto." Jenny said, her eye on the toad infront of her.

"Psst." Some one said. Jenny turned towards the direction of the 'Psst'. It was Veronica, sitting alone on the seat beside her's in the next row.

"What?" Jenny mouthed as the class once again repeated after McGonagall. Veronica pointed at Sienna, who was sitting with Jenny, with her eyes. Jenny looked at her, to find that Sienna was smiling at the squirrel given to her for practising the spell.

Although smiling at a squirrel was odd, Jenny turned to Veronica again and mouthed again-"What?"

Veronica made a face. Then, keeping her wand on the desk, traced a square in the air with her fingers. Jenny shook her head in confusion.

Veronica then pointed at Sienna again. Jenny looked; Sienna was now looking outside the window, smiling again. Jenny shook her head once again.

Getting irritated, Veronica put up her hands in front of her face and then pointed at Sienna, then again put her hands infront of her face, and again pointed at Sienna. Jenny nodded, catching on that Veronica meant: look at Sienna's hands.

Jenny looked for her hands on the table, but Sienna was holding her hands together behind her back. Peering behind her, she saw that Sienna was holding a square piece of paper in her fingers. She looked back at Veronica, tracing a square in the air, but at that very moment-

"Ms. Jones! What are you doing?" McGonagall's voice sailed across the class. Jenny turned to see everyone staring at her.

"Er," She said.

"Did you hear the spell?" McGonagall asked, striding over to her seat "Or were you too busy in making mysterious signals to Andrews?"

Jenny turned red, but did not speak. "Let's see if you really were listening to what I was saying." McGonagall said "Turn this toad into a water goblet."

Jenny cleared her throat, tapped the toad (who did not like being tapped on the head and gave a loud croak) three times and said _"Ferravareto"_. There was a soft 'whoosh' and a water goblet clinked as it landed on the table oftly at the place where the toad had been.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"She's definitely not telling us something." Veronica said, looking at Sienna, who was standing in front of a bookcase, searching for _Aquineas: Where to find it and its uses_.

They were in the library, completing their homework. Sienna was searching a book for her potions essay which Jenny had already completed and submitted three days before the given date; Veronica had come straight from quidditch practise and had no pen or paper with her, Jenny was busy completing her DADA essay for Professor Fraser.

"What do you reckon?" Veronica asked her, still staring at Sienna's back.

"I don't know…."Jenny said, pausing her quill to search the meaning of _'Melifula'_, a word she had found in the book _The Darker Side of Magic_.

Veronica looked at her. "Are you even listening to me?" she asked.

"Of course I am." she answered absent mindedly.

"Okay," Veronica said "Hey, Jenny?" she said next.

"What?"

"Your tail looks good." Veronica said, smiling mischievously.

"Yeah, you are right." Jenny said absentmindedly. Veronica started snickering. After a moment, Jenny looked up slowly and asked "What exactly did you just ask me now?"

"I did not ask," Veronica said, laughing "I said that your tail looks good, and hey-" she said, ducking, as Jenny sent an ink pellet at her from her quill tip. "Even you agreed!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

This year was going great. The friendship between Jenny, Veronica and Sienna had cemented into a strong one. Whenever Sienna had problem in transfiguration, or in DADA, they used to sit in the great hall and Jenny used to help her. Veronica was getting appreciated by the Ravenclaws. In her first match, which was against Hufflepuff, though she didn't score much, but by every match, she was improving and scoring more, Turpin had started calling her 'Shooting Andrews' (But this thoroughly annoyed Veronica). The new DADA professor was a woman, well into her 50's. She was plump, and used spectacles, but was very fast with wand movement. When she had told them that in a duel, two most important spells are 'Expelliarmus' and 'Portego' she had someone from the children to try and expelliarm her. Jenny did, (She was the one who tried it first on Sirius Black) Professor Fraser slashed her wand so quickly in the air at her last letter, and a blue shield boomed between her and the class. It was advanced magic, they might not be able to do it now, Professor Fraser told the class from the other side of the shield, but they still had to write a 5-inch essay on defence magic.

Veronica was her favourite, always the first to answer her questions, (Though Jenny was there, and mind you, it's a big thing), she usually picked Veronica for demonstrating how to do a spell to the class.

Jenny saw Regulus many times on his own, sometimes in shortcut, sometimes coming out from a class, many times in the library. Whenever they would meet, he would give her a half smile and a nod. Veronica used to find it very funny that he always used to greet in the same way.

Meanwhile, something was going on with Sienna. She would vanish for one whole day on weekends and by the evening; she would be there, sitting in the great hall with Jenny and Veronica, insisting that she was in the library or in the grounds all day that they had not looked for her carefully.

On the other hand, David was slowly turning into an embarrassing friend for Jenny. He was starting to be pathetically obvious, staring at her as if she was gem or diamond that he had the good fortune of finding. Jenny used to go red whenever she and David were left alone together, (And this happened many times because of Veronica's excellent planning) he would keep staring at her all the time, making her feel very embarrassed and scared. He had also started speaking less, smiling mostly when they asked what has happened to him.

Veronica was turning out very good, on the broomstick, as well in the classes. Her sandy hair were growing, bypassing her shoulder, they were almost by her naval. Her passes were very good and accurate, and so were her catches. Anthony had devised a new way to pass the quaffle, and this was working good, in the last match against Slytherin, they had already scored 180 points before Brockelhurst caught the snitch. The day had ended with the Ravenclaws partying and celebrating, if Slytherins lost from Gryffindor too, then they, Ravenclaws will again be competing against Gryffindors in the final match. But this will happen only in the second term. This weekend, the Christmas holidays were starting. Jenny had just completed packing before she went to bed when Charlotte and Torien arrived, arguing over something. Torien scowled at Jenny, Charlotte ignored her. Wondering what on earth had she done now, she went downstairs, looking for Veronica. And Veronica was there, sitting on the window sill of one of the windows, the glass of the window thrown open. Ice cold wind was sailing through the room, disturbing the feeble fire that illuminated one side of her face.

"Veronica!" Jenny said, shuffling forward to get her down frown there. "Veronica what are you doi-" The rest of her words were left when she saw her face was tear streaked.

"Veronica?" Jenny asked. Veronica did not turn, but kept staring out at the mountains, the wind blowing her hair around her face. Jenny waited for a few moments for Veronica to give her some sign of recognition. When she continued to stare at the mountains, Jenny took a chair, stood on it, and climbed to the window.

"Veronica!" She panted, "What happened? Why are you crying?" Veronica did not answer. Jenny stared at her tear streaked face, then she noticed that Veronica was holding some paper in her hand.

"What is this?" She asked "A letter?"

"From my mother." Veronica said.

"What happened? Is she ill?" Jenny asked.

"No." She answered, tears streaking down her face again. "Then what happened?"

Veronica shut her eyes painfully, causing the tear in them to fall unceremoniously on her cheek.

"What?" Jenny asked, getting scared at the sight of her crying again. Veronica rarely used to cry.

"She, she,…." Veronica tried to say, still looking at the mountains.

"She what?" Jenny asked, her heart racing. Had Veronica's mother decided to get her out of school. Was that why Veronica was crying? She would, if she had to leave her friends.

"She.." Veronica said.

"She….?" Jenny repeated. Veronica faced her, tears swelling in her eyes once again, and said "She is getting married."


	15. Chapter 15

NO PART OF THIS "BORROWED PLOT" MAY BE REPRODUCED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR**.**

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-J K ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****WILL IN NO WAY**** VIOLATE THEM****.**

**………………………………………………………………………………………………**

**SOME PEOPLE NEED TO GROW UP**

For a few seconds, Jenny stared at Veronica, unsure whether she had heard right. Veronica turned to the mountains again, tears leaking, her hair blowing around her face. Then, Jenny opened her mouth.

"Come on, Veronica, you are tired, not feeling well, I suppose, you must've misread your mother's writing-"

"I have not misread anything!" Veronica said, and jumped down from the window sill "And I am perfectly fine, not all sick or something like that, my mother is getting married, look-she has written it-"

"Your mother cannot get married, Veronica!" Jenny said, trying to calm her down. "You already have a father!"

"No, I DON'T!" Veronica shrieked in reply.

Silence.

Jenny stared at Veronica, completely shocked to react. Veronica stared back, the tears again leaking from her eyes.

"You, you don't have a father?" Jenny asked, or rather, whispered after a few minutes.

"No I don't" Veronica said, and turned away from her, hiding her tearful face in her hands, as if Jenny was paining her by showing her some horrid specimen of her past, which she had done and forgotten, and moved on.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So, you were born in Scotland?" Sienna said, looking hard at Veronica.

"My mother gave birth to me there, yes," Veronica said, busily unwrapping a chocolate frog "then the muggle who was my father, came to know my mother is a witch and their marriage broke. Mum came back to London to Granny and I was brought up here."

"You know him?" Jenny asked. "Your would-be-step-father, I mean."

Veronica scowled at her for her audacity for repeating the new relationship she would have. "Yes," she said, scowling again "I met him this summer."

"Who is he?" Sienna asked eagerly. "Does he work in the ministry, or some-"

"He doesn't work in the ministry," Veronica said, smirking to herself. "Or rather, he can't. That's because he's a muggle!"

Jenny and Sienna stared at her. Veronica stared back, scowling at them.

"Oh don't look at me like that! It is making everything worse!" she said

"Why is your mother marrying a muggle?" Sienna answered to her outburst.

"That's because she's _in love with him_!" Veronica said, angrily flinging the letter sent to her by her mother on the train floor.

For a long moment, nobody said anything. Sienna stared at Veronica, Veronica stared outside the window, and Jenny stared at the letter lying on the moving train floor.

"WHY THE HELL!" Veronica yelled suddenly. Jenny shrieked, Sienna exclaimed "Veronica!" and Veronica burst into tears.

"You are acting like your daughter is getting married!" Sienna said, rubbing Veronica's back while she hid her face in Jenny shoulder.

"I don't want her to get married!" Veronica said between her tears. "We are so fine together! Why the hell does she have to get married to that ape?!"

"Veronica!" Jenny said reprimandingly "Don't speak like that about your father!"

"He **is** an ape!" Veronica sat up straight, pushing her now long hair out of her way "He and his son, both are apes!"

"He has a son!" Jenny repeated.

"His own son?" Sienna asked.

"Yes, his own son! And he's divorced!"

"Who is divorced?" Sienna asked.

"What **is **'divorced'?" Jenny asked.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The rest of their train journey (yes, they were on the Hogwarts Express) back home for Christmas, was spent discussing Veronica's would be step-father, who is, let me remind you a muggle with an Italian parentage, got young in Germany, got married and became a father in France, and has been living in London for the past five years with his son, Clarke, who was born in the train on it's way to Chicago, where his mother lived, was brought up in Boston where his mother moved after her divorce from Clarke's father, and for the last five years, Clarke's been living with his father in London after his mother died in New York. Also, Clarke's father, the man whom Veronica started hating the moment she met him, and who is going to marry her mother and thus make himself her (Veronica's!) step father, and his son Clarke, her step brother, yes, he, who is dating her mother, whose name is Eminem Andrews, who was born, brought up, educated, got young, etc, etc, in London, and who never left London except when she ran away with another muggle she fell in love with, and had Veronica in a small village in Scotland, (Just imagine how Veronica would have been if she had been brought up in a place where they had to milk cows daily to make cheese, their major source of income:) well, we were at the man who would be Veronica's step father after he got married to her mother, Eminem, whom he is currently dating; well, I think, yes, I'm sure, there's nothing more to say, yes-yes- the man, the muggle man, yes, as I was saying, (I means fateJ) this muggle's name is-Benito Cosimo D'Medisi. (His son is utterly thankful to my elder brother, i.e. God that his parents got divorced within a month of his birth and he did not get named by his father, yes, I agree with you child, he does have a funny name! But what are you going to do about D'Medisi?!) But wait a minute; don't

go back to Veronica so soon! There is one more thing!

Hope you aren't confused?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Okay, Veronica," Sienna said, trying to calm her down while forcing her through the wall and then, out of the barrier "everything will be fine, just take a deep breath, it'll be fine, walk out to him, he will give you a hug-maybe!" she added, when Veronica looked at her "then you quickly stuff your stuff in the boot of the trunk of the car, then you both drive away, and nobody will see you. There, look –he is there." She said, pointing at someone standing outside the station, looking through the glass door "That's him, right?" She asked, turning to face Veronica who had frozen at his sight and was watching him with murder in her eyes. "Yes, that's him." She answered.

"You know what Sienna, I think, Hogwarts Express goes back to Hogwarts, I think maybe I should take the train back to Hogwarts-" Veronica said, turning towards the barrier again.

"Veronica!" Sienna said, lunging for her hand "You just can't ignore him like that! He is going to marry your mother! You'll have to face him for the rest of your lives!"

"Thanks for the picture!" Veronica said. For a few moments, they kept standing; Veronica staring at him through the glass door, Sienna still holding her hand, and the muggles filing past them, either exiting or entering the station.

"Why have you come back at Christmas?" Veronica asked "Last year you didn't."

"I am someone's bridesmaid," Sienna answered "Some girl from my orphanage; she's getting married after Christmas." She added, when Veronica looked confused.

"You are being childish, Veronica." Sienna said suddenly, after watching Veronica stare at the man standing next to a purple jaguar. "Just go out there, and accept your mother's decision." Veronica looked incredulously at her.

"No, really, I mean it." Sienna said, tired of standing, and leading her to a bench.

"You have a mother." Sienna said, looking at her.

"I know that." Veronica said.

"She is elder than you, she gave birth to you, and she brought you up." Sienna went on. Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Every mother does that," she said.

"No," Sienna said, smiling a very sad smile "I wish I could agree with you Veronica, but no, not every mother does that."

Veronica looked at Sienna. She knew what she was talking about. She, Veronica, knew that if any other girl would have been at Sienna's place, discussing that touchy subject of parents with her, she would have surely started crying. But Sienna wasn't crying. She was looking at Veronica in the eyes, as if searching for something in them, her own eyes filled with a great, sad disappointment, as if disappointed at Veronica's behaviour.

For five minutes, they looked at each other in the eye. Then abruptly, Sienna got up.

"I have to be off," She said, gathering her bag in her arms and holding her trolley again. Then she looked down at Veronica, who was still staring at her. "Just don't sit here for too long?" She said to her. And then, wheeling her trolley, she was 'off '. She smiled at the nervous 30-something man standing next to the purple jaguar (who was checking his watch nervously) as she hauled a cab. He uncertainly smiled back at her, wondering at the same time what deuce was it about.

Veronica kept looking at the place where Sienna had stood, even though she had gone. Thinking about what she had said to her.

 _Just don't sit here for too long?_

It wasn't a question. Nor had she said it. She had indirectly, _said_ a question to her. What she actually had said was: Hope you stop whining like an idiot and come back to your senses and cherish your moments with your family when you still have one! It was like getting slapped hard by a pigeon feather!

After a few moments, though to Veronica, they were a few days, she got up, and in Sienna's words, went 'off' with her would-be-step-father, the muggle man standing next to ludicrously purple jaguar, called Benito Cosimo D'Medisi, the man whom her mother fell in love with.


	16. Chapter 16

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**TEMPER**

Jenny's Christmas holidays went good. On Christmas' Eve, Aunt Tia arrived, wearing a Santa's hat and with a sack full of chocolate frogs. She had her own house now, a house which she had bought with her own money. They also went there; it was a small cottage, with three small, but cosy rooms, and a living room-cum-dining place-cum-kitchen with a large chimney. Aunt Tia laughed and agreed with Gwen, when she said that she had deliberately bought that large chimney house so that Santa could slide in easily.

                                   Christmas morning was a surprise and as well an embarrassment for Jenny when she saw that David had sent her the largest gift in all of them, a big and fancy book of facts about various potions. Tia teased Jenny along with Gwen all the day till dinner, where they had to remain silent and sober as Mrs. Jones had invited a Mr. Amver Rosier (her colleague at the auror department) and his three month pregnant wife, who started feeling nauseatic before they started pudding and had to be rushed to the bathroom in the guest bedroom and who politely declined the bowl of pudding when she re-emerged. Jenny had sent a broomstick servicing kit to Veronica, who had sent her an ornate-ivory clip with a note attached to it that read-_Don't break it too_. Jenny had sent Sienna a set of marble Gobstones with Zara. On her birthday, i.e; on Twenty-Seventh of December, Zara arrived with a thank you note and a pair of gloves from Sienna. Jenny received another huge parcel of gift from David, another fancy book that would have sure cost him at least three galleons, Aunt Tia said. Jenny hid the books in her almirah under the clothes that didn't fit her anymore, fearing how her father would react if he found about the fancy books.

But the most surprising thing was when she received a 'Merry Christmas' card from Regulus Black. At first, she was suspicious, what if the card was a prank! After all, he was Sirius Black's brother. Or maybe, Sirius Black himself had sent it, using the name of his younger brother to get her for……..well, maybe just to pull a prank at her. She thought of asking Gwen, her stupid little sister to open the card for her, but it was a very selfish thing to do. So Jenny bravely opened the card herself, ready to cover her face with a towel which she held in her left hand, if the card blasted itself, like the one Aunt Tia had got so long ago. But it didn't blast. Nor did it do any other funny business. It just opened, like a normal card and had the following words written in a green ink-

                                            _Ms. Samantha Jones,_

_                                            Wish you a merry Christmas._

_                                            Yours truly,_

_                                            Mr. R. A. Black_

"Who is 'Mr. R. A. Black'?" Aunt Tia asked, reading the short wish.

"I know him," Jenny said, staring at his handwriting that looked as if written by a man sitting on a high-backed chair with a grave beard and horn-rimmed glasses on his nose. "He's one year junior than me in school."

"He's in first year?" Aunt Tia said in amazement. "But he sounds so cynical and grown up!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Shortly after New Year, the school resumed his life and hustle-bustle. The classes started once again, the foul weather fouler, frosty, icy winds bellowing mercilessly in the grounds. Going out to the Greenhouses for Herbology was like torture, the icy wind on your face, which made your face smarten in the cold, was enough to make any one sick. Most of the students covered the distance between the Entrance Hall door and the Greenhouses running, finding it the best way to outstrip the cold and to retain some warmth. On one such frosty afternoon, Jenny bumped into Regulus Black in the doorway of Greenhouse two.

"Hi!"

"Hello," he said, giving her half a smile and a nod.  
"Why did you send me that card?" She blurted.

"What card?" He asked. "The one I sent you on Christmas?" Jenny nodded her head.

"It was Christmas," He said, raising an eyebrow "and people usually send each other Christmas cards."

"You were very formal," Jenny said "To Ms. Samantha Jones-from Mr. R. A. Black!"

"It wasn't me who had written it," He said, staring as Querill came running and crashed into the greenhouse door. "It was our elf, Kreacher. I gave him the list of people to whom I wanted to wish, and he did it for me."

And at the exact moment, Professor Sprout, their young herbology teacher, came and ordered-"Greenhouse one again, kids!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You know what?" Timothy asked as he came running towards them at Ravenclaw table next morning as they sat down for breakfast "That Binns!"

"Bins?" Veronica repeated as she helped herself to a kipper.

"Binns, Binns, Binns!" Timothy said urgently, "Professor Binns!"

"What about him?" Jenny asked.

"He's dead!" Jenny gagged on the glass of juice.

"What?!" They all said together.

"Dead! Dead! Dead!" Timothy repeated, as if they did not grasp the gravity of the situation.

"How do you know?" Jenny whispered.

"Saw him," David said, joining their conversation and their table.

"Saw him?" Veronica repeated "You saw his dead-body?" Jenny winced at the practicality in her words. Veronica faced her. "What else should I call it? 'Lifeless-combination-of-the five elements'?"

"Veronica, that's a late teacher you are talking about!" Jenny reprimanded "Show some respect to the dead man!"

"According to me," Timothy said, stopping Veronica from answering Jenny back as she opened her mouth "he's not dead enough to stop teaching history"

This sentence took its time to settle in their minds. Then they derived their own versions of what he meant.

"You mean," Veronica started first (Jenny and Sienna were too busy to sort out their versions,) "that Binns-"

"Yes," Timothy said, abruptly interrupting her.

Veronica didn't like it. She opened her mouth again, frowning this time. "What 'yes'?" she asked him "Do you even know what I was going to say?"

He looked at her and shook his head, not at her question but at something only that he had said his expression like McGonagall when she used to shake her head and say you are wrong, that's not the spell for changing a toothpick into a needle in class.

Jenny gasped. Everyone looked at her. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"No!" she whispered to Timothy.

Timothy smiled the smile Slughorn usually smiled at Jenny in class when she answered his questions.

"Yes," he said, savouring the pleasure he got from her shocked face.

"It can't happen!" she said in the same whisper-voice.

"But it has." David said quietly, reaching out across the table where a pot of coffee was.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_"The most important event of the International Warlock Convention of 1289 was when Jojoma, the Sardinian Prince, and luckily, the Chief Wizard of Sardinia, suggested the base idea of what we follow today as 'The International Statue of Secrecy'."   _

Jenny paused in her note taking and looked. Veronica was still staring. Jenny frowned, and poked her with her quill end.

'Ow!" Veronica said, rubbing her elbow. "What?"

"Take some notes for yourself!" Jenny hissed at her. "And stop staring!"

"Look at him!" Veronica answered, pointing at Professor Binns with her finger. "Just look at him!"

"So what?" Jenny hissed. "Haven't you seen him before?!"

"Look at him!" Veronica repeated "He's so pale!"

"All ghosts are!" Jenny said "Now stop gawking like an idiot and take notes!"

Veronica opened her mouth angrily to retort back but at the same time, the bell rang loudly, signalling the end of classes.

          The class got up, most of them watching Professor Binns as he shuffled his notes. Unusually, it was Professor Binns who got out of the class first, Veronica seconded him.

"She's not going to calm down till a week," Sienna said, following Jenny out of the class and staring at Veronica's back.

"You mean to say this tantrum is week long?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, something like that …"Sienna trailed away.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The following week, Jenny did not speak to Veronica, and Veronica paid as little attention to Jenny as to the wall. The weather was also stormy, but quidditch practices continued. Anthony was getting obsessed with the idea of defeating Gryffindor and winning the quidditch cup right under their noses. This spirit was seen in other members of the team too, but they used to think that playing in foul weather won't help. But Anthony still made them practise hard, every evening after a quick dinner or at weekends, straight after breakfast.

         Only one person matched his thinking and zeal, and that was Veronica. She'd reach the stadium before the rest of the team, and would leave the last with Anthony.

It was one of those evenings when Jenny was sitting all by herself in the common room trying to decide what subject to choose to study in her third year when Veronica arrived with Anthony. Not many people were there in the room, Jenny the only second year and the rest mostly fifth years and seventh years.

Anthony knocked. The musical voice rang out-_"Faith, Belief, and Trust, are all different or all the same?"_

Nobody spoke for a minute. Then Veronica grunted-"I wish I had chosen Gryffindor,"

"Why?" Anthony asked. "Atleast we didn't had to go through this question answer thing every time."

"So you mean you chose Ravenclaw deliberately over Gryffindor." Anthony asked.

"Yeah, I was so goddamn bored by my mother's stories about her house Gryffindor that I deliberately chose something which she never expected."

There was silence again. Inside, the prefect girl who had once reprimanded Veronica for asking for help was now staring at Jenny as if mutely reprimanding her, too. Jenny's cheeks were burning, but she was trying to appear busy in choosing the subjects from a list in her hand.

Outside the door, Anthony spoke again-"I've forgotten the question!"

He knocked again, the musical voice rang out-_"Faith, Belief, Trust, are all different or all the same?"_

"We have faith in God," Veronica's voice answered "we have belief in God, and we have trust in God. For some, Faith, Belief, and Trust are the same, and for some, Faith is like a blind man, Belief is obeying the king who doesn't exist, and Trust the other word for mental intimacy. So on the whole, I'd say, to each his own."

The prefect girl's eyes were round with shock. People sitting in the common room were looking at each other, in surprise or in suppressed applause. Few glanced at Jenny an admiring glance, as if it was her who had answered the question. Jenny herself was staring at the door in shock. Obviously, nobody had thought that Veronica would answer so well.

_"Accurately answered." _The eagle door knocker said and the door opened to reveal Anthony holding two brooms, one of them Veronica's Shooting Star, and Veronica, sporting a bandaged head.

"What happened to you?" Jenny asked immediately. Veronica turned to Anthony and said "Thanks, Anthony." And taking her broomstick, she left for the dormitory. Anthony turned to Jenny. "Don't mind her," He said with an apologetic expression on his face. "She's good most of the time," He said as if Jenny had met Veronica for the first time. "She's just got a little bit temper..."

"What happened to her?" Jenny repeated, partly to remind that she knew how Veronica was.

"Oh, that, she took a bludger to her head." Anthony said casually. "Prakash aimed it at her just as she was about to score, and she couldn't leave the quaffle, so she got hit." Anthony swelled with pride "Just like last match against Slytherin."

Jenny did not say a thing. She picked up the list of subjects she had, and collecting her books, angrily pounded up the stairs for her dormitory. So, Veronica gets hurt, they don't come to know. Veronica spends an entire evening with Anthony in the hospital wing, with her head hurt, and they still don't come to know.

She opened the door of the dormitory so angrily that it hit the wall, and bounded back shut. In these few seconds, Jenny saw that Veronica, her head white in dark, was arguing with Charlotte and Torien. Torien in her night dress, sitting on her knees on her bed was angrily pointing a finger at Veronica. Veronica, still in her quidditch robes, was scowling.

Charlotte opened the door again. "Are you allright Samantha?" She asked cautiously.

Jenny did not answer. She stepped in and took the doorknob from her and shut the door. Everything was dark again. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she could make out Torien's, Veronica's, and Charlotte's outlines in the dark. Striding forward, Jenny threw the list down on Veronica's bed.

"List of subjects to take in third year." She said shortly. "Choose and return to me by tomorrow evening."

She turned and retired on her bed, not saying anything else. Torien resumed her passion in which she was arguing with Veronica before Jenny banged in.

"You wait! This won't go on forever! I'm telling you! She is not-"

"Torien Gemini!" Jenny said loudly stopping her mid sentence. "And Veronica Andrews!" Both of them turned to her in the dark. "If you cannot shut up, go down to the common room and fight to your heart's content! Or else shut up and let me sleep before I call Professor Flitwick!"

Torien started once again. "You can not order us-"

"Torien!" Charlotte said "Stop all this! It's eleven thirty!"

Torien humphed and glaring daggers at Jenny and Veronica drew the blinds around her four poster bed angrily.

Charlotte climbed into her own and loosened her hair. Veronica left the room to change into her night clothes.     


	17. Chapter 17

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS "BORROWED PLOT" MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR**.**

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE_ Harry Potter _SERIES, AUTHOR-J K ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL I VIOLATED THEM.**

………………………………………………………………………………………………

** SECRET**

 It was a Saturday, the end of the week. Jenny was scouting in the school, going from one tower or floor to another, searching for Sienna. Now that Veronica and she were not talking, Jenny was finding it hard to spend the day with all her homework complete and nothing to occupy her. If she couldn't find her, she was going to the library.

She was on the fifth floor, which was awfully quiet except a couple, who were kissing and who shifted to a class before she passed them. She turned left and took the shortcut which will take her straight to the dungeon entrance door. Where was Sienna? Veronica was busy with quidditch practise, Sienna was missing, she had no other friend except them, and she'd better not spend her time with David.  
Jenny turned left again, her feet not making any sound on the carpeted floor.

Why was Veronica so-

Jenny stopped in her track when she saw a boy crouching in the shadows in the next turn. By the looks of it, he was hiding. He was clutching his wand tightly, as if going to use it any minute. Jenny tiptoed behind him, trying to make out why he was standing like that. He did not notice, he was busy peering over the turn through a bunch of peach roses from a vase. Then, she heard a voice she recognised.

"What were you thinking, Peers?" Regulus said. "If you couldn't face me, then why _did_ you accept my challenge? I always knew you were not man enough."

"Don't say anything that you will later regret, Regulus!" Peers, maybe the other boy, said. "Now just tell us where it is, and you can go clean-"

"_Go clean_?" Regulus repeated incredibly. "Go clean! Have you ever seen yourself, Peers? What are you, in front of me?"

"That you'll soon find out, _Black_," Peers answered.

At the word _Black_, the hidden boy infront of Jenny swung his arm up and opened his mouth, ready to cry out-

"_Expelliarmus_!" Jenny shouted. The boy's wand fell back from his hand, just as his head swivelled in her direction.

"You!" he shouted when he saw her. There were footsteps and then Regulus appeared, with him the other boy, Peers, a first year Slytherin.

 "What are you doing here?" the boy asked. Jenny recognised him as Bartemius Crouch Jr., son of Crouch Senior, who worked in the ministry with her mother, at some…..some powerful position which she did not remember at the time.

"Just passing, Bartemius." Jenny said, picking up his fallen wand. "I happened to see you cheating."

"Shut up!" Barty Jr. said. Jenny suddenly recalled his seventh birthday party, at which she had been invited; he had yelled 'Shut up!' in the same manner at her when she had said that he was cheating in the party games. "Don't involve yourself in this, Jones! Go away!"

Jenny raised an eyebrow at 'Jones', he had always called her Samantha, and now, he was acting as if he hardly knew her.

"Samantha, you go, I'll meet you later…" Regulus said, but at the same time, Barty lunged at her hand to wrestle his wand out of it. Jenny shrieked, and Regulus lunged behind Barty. Barty landed on Jenny's feet, and pulled her down. Regulus, while trying to keep Barty away from Jenny, fell too, on Barty's legs. Barty shrieked in pain, "My knee is bandaged, you idiot!" he roared and punched Regulus. Regulus, trying to avoid the punch, bounded towards Jenny. Jenny was lying flat on her back, pushing her hair out of her mouth, when she saw the other boy Peers, pointing his wand at Regulus' back in all this mayhem.

Sitting up on her elbow, she pointed her wand at him.

"Expelli-" but at the same time, Regulus landed on Jenny, toppling all air out of her. Peers pointed his wand at Regulus again, Jenny shrieked, Regulus understood and taking her wand hand in his, pointed at Peers. Peers yelled-"_Tarantallegra!_" At the same time, Regulus yelled-"_Furnunculus!_"

Peers' hex went and hit Barty Jr. (at the knee!). His legs started doing a frenzied sort of tap dance in the air; Regulus' (and Jenny's) aim was perfect, it went and hit Peers right in the face. Peers gave a sound of pain and fell on his knee, covering his face in his hands.

"What did you do to him?" Jenny shouted at Regulus. "Get off me!"

Regulus mumbled something and tried to get up, but Barty kicked him in the head while doing tap dance with his legs up in the air and Regulus fell on Jenny, flattening her again, and at the same moment, David appeared on the turn.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled.

Jenny and Regulus both looked up at him from the ground, unsure whom he was addressing.

"Get off her!" David yelled and pulled him off.

"Whoa, li'l brother," Some one said. Jenny closed her eyes. Oh please, let it not be him, let it not be him….

"Shut up, Sirius." Regulus said. David was looking at him murderously. Jenny opened her eyes furiously.

"What are you doing here with him?" She asked, pointing at Sirius.

"Exactly my question!" David said angrily. "What do you think you were doing, Samantha?!"

"What do _you_ think I was doing?" Jenny said angrily while getting up. Behind her, Barty continued to do tap dance.

"What happened here?" Sirius asked Regulus, looking at Barty and Peers. 

"I was here with Peers," Regulus said, pointing at him, "this Crouch was hidden, Samantha was walking by," David said, "Walking by?" looking at her. "Crouch was going to cheat behind my back, Samantha disarmed him, then when she and I were talking, he lunged at her," "He lunged at you?" David repeated looking at Barty doing the tap dance. "I tried to stop him," Regulus went on. "And I fell on her in the process, and then Peers tried to send 'Tarantallegra' my way," He pointed at Crouch. "And my hex went and hit Peers."

David looked at Jenny. "What?" She asked angrily. He looked apprehensive, but he still said "Samantha that was very graceless, lying like that, with a stranger …" He glanced at Regulus. Regulus raised an eyebrow. "You know, I….did not like that…" Jenny opened her mouth furiously.

"And what does it matter that you liked it or not," Regulus interrupted. "Who are you, anyway, to say anything to her like that?"

"And who are you to her?" David returned, his face getting red with anger. "To object at me like that?"

Sirius cleared his throat. Jenny opened her mouth finally.

"He's my friend!" She said, pointing at Regulus with her hand, feeling sick of David's possessive nature. "He's as much my friend as you are!"

David went silent. Barty Jr. yelled suddenly-"If you guys are through the drama, I WANT MY WAND!"

"Take your wand!" Jenny threw it at him. "And have some nerve to face people face-to-face, not behind their backs." And she turned and stormed away from there. David followed her.

"Samantha, I'm sorry," He said immediately.

"You should be!" Jenny said.

"I, but, you, Slytherins..." David spluttered.

Jenny looked at him, and he immediately shut up. Then, as they emerged at the door next to the door that led to dungeons, he spoke. "Veronica is looking for you," He said, "She had sent me to look for you."

 "Is she all right?" Jenny asked, imagining a hundred things that could've happened to her. "Has she completed her quidditch practise?"

"Looks like it," David said, walking towards the marble staircase. "She and Sienna were infront of the fat lady when I left them."

"Sienna?" Jenny asked, following him up the stairs. "Sienna is there too?"

"With Timothy," David added.

"Timothy?" Jenny repeated. "Were they fighting?"

"Oh, well, see it yourself." David said as they reached the fat lady. Veronica was standing there, her back to the wall infront of the fat lady, Timothy was standing a few steps away from her, his arms crossed, his face drooped, and Sienna was speaking something very quietly to Veronica.

As soon as Veronica saw her, she moved forwards, shunting Sienna to a side, and opened her mouth.

"What?" Jenny asked.

"They are dating!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Now, kids, pruning the Shrivelfigs" Professor Sprout said, brushing aside her dirty soiled hair "i.e. the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs seem easy enough, but it is difficult as Shrivelfigs have one fault. Now, who can tell me what fault does it-yes, Samantha?"

"It does not have the nerve system that plants usually have, so they shrivel up when cut and it takes skill to un-shrivel them back." Jenny replied.

"Very good, take five points." Professor Sprout said.

They were in Herbology class; Jenny was sitting between Sienna and Veronica. Veronica had started speaking to her, but she was now ignoring Sienna. Sienna had already said that she was sorry, but this had no effect on Veronica. Jenny was also a little hurt by Sienna, but she was still speaking to her. Sienna had sensed this, but she did not say anything.

The thing was that Sienna and Timothy had been dating for the past four months, and according to Veronica, she ought to have told them. Jenny privately agreed with her, but was being soft with Sienna; it was Veronica's job to be hard on the person.

"What do we have now?" Sienna asked Jenny as they left the Greenhouse.

"Defence." Veronica answered immediately.

"Are you speaking to me now?" Sienna asked.

"No," Veronica replied.

"Veronica," Sienna sighed as Anthony went by, smiling at Veronica. "Please, don't be so hard on me."

"You deserve it," She snapped. "First, you should've told us, we wouldn't've eaten your Timmy away!"

"It was his idea!" Sienna replied. "He suggested we keep it quiet, he…"

"But you could not keep it quiet from that Torien!" Veronica said, "She was after my life, trying to involve me in a plan to make you two break-up,"

"What?" Sienna said. "Yes," Veronica replied with satisfaction with the look of shock at Sienna's face. "At first, I thought she was wrong, you and Timmy could not be dating, I thought you'd tell us! But no, this twelve year old girl keeps her secrets, she does not even…"

"I am _thirteen_!" Sienna said indignantly. "I turned thirteen on 13nth of September!"

"September?" Jenny asked.

"So, you didn't even tell us your birthday," Veronica said. "And you expect us not to be hard on you!" She said as they entered Defence class room, Professor Fraser writing something on the black board.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was after dinner. Jenny was lying in her bed with her night clothes beside her. She was feeling tired, and had turned down Veronica's offer to sit and do homework today. So Veronica had moved onto the table of Anthony to sit with him to discuss the match against Gryffindor, the last match for the season.

Sienna's words were ringing in Jenny's ears.

'I am _thirteen_!'

Jenny was _thirteen_ too. And just like with Sienna, there was someone who liked her very much, and was perhaps unable to hide his feelings for her. Jenny knew Timothy liked Sienna, it was kind of expected of them to date, but so soon? Jenny wondered what was _'so soon'_? People now a days did not used to think _'so soon_?' with You Know Who there to make them leave this world _'so soon'_.

People were dying, disappearing, getting hurt, and many had started thinking like, 'live today, for there might be no tomorrow'. Just these holidays, Aunt Tia was telling mumma (Jenny's) her friend's incident who had not cleared her Apparition test and tried to elope with her boyfriend and splinched herself.

Now that it was in the open that Timothy and Sienna were dating, Jenny thought what David might be thinking. Would she also be expected to date him now? And she was also _thirteen_, David knew that. And almost everyone knew that David liked her, even Potter and Black.

As for Veronica, she was still twelve years old, wasn't she? She should ask her birthday, not like Sienna-

The door opened and Torien and Charlotte walked in, talking among themselves. Jenny got up and left for the bathroom to change, trying to ignore Torien's scowl.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

 _Q60) What are the various kinds of poisonous pests that the spell 'Ademptio Abeo' will vanish?_

Jenny dipped her quill in ink and wrote: _Poison Wing-flaps, Krista-moes, Abe,_ _Rhiondia, and-_

Jenny paused, trying to remember which the last one was.

_and-_

Jenny looked around the room. Charlotte was sitting in front of her, her head bowed. Sienna was standing in front of Professor Fraser, moving her wand, giving her practical. Veronica, who was sitting at the far end of the class, beside the window, was staring outside to the grounds, a look of deep concentration on her face. On her left, Karl Beryl of Hufflepuff was glancing at his watch and trying to write at the same time. Querill seemed to be revising his answers. And Crouch Jr. was looking around nervously, trying to catch Querill's eye.  Jenny dipped her quill in ink again and wrote- _and Blood kunks._

Keeping her quill down, she tapped her parchment once with her wand, all the smudged words, unclear writing and wrong spellings corrected themselves. Professor Fraser looked up in the middle of checking Sienna's answers and smiled at her. Jenny smiled back, and rolling her parchment, got up from her seat.

"Nice trick," Professor Fraser said as she reached her desk. "to check the spellings." Jenny smiled once again as Professor Fraser took her roll of parchment and unrolled it.

"I met your mother yesterday," Professor Fraser suddenly said, while still looking at her roll. "In Diagon alley."

"You did?" Jenny said blankly.

"She was asking about you." Professor Fraser looked up at her, above her gold-rimmed spectacles. "About how you were doing."

"Er," Jenny said.

"I said that she's just like you," Professor Fraser returned to the roll. "almost perfect."

Jenny was more amazed to know that Professor Fraser knew her mother more than that she called her 'almost perfect'.

"You knew my mother!" she exclaimed.

"I know your mother," Professor Fraser corrected her. "I was her senior in school. Her and Ned's."  

"Your father was very brilliant too," Professor Fraser said. "But I didn't know much of him, he was in Ravenclaw." She added as she crossed a sentence.

"My daughter works under your mother," Fraser continued. "your mother trains her."

"Oh," Jenny said stupidly.

"She is getting married this June," Fraser said. "That is why I went to Diagon alley, to buy her a wedding present." Then she looked up again. "I hope I'll be seeing you there."

Jenny smiled uncertainly.

"So," Fraser said, taking her glasses off. "Samantha, live up to what I said to Fiona and vanish this kunk for me."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"How was Transfiguration?" Timothy asked.

"It was okay, not bad." Sienna answered, peeling a chocolate frog.

"Mine was fine too," Veronica said from beside the door.

"I still can't believe it, but McGonagall said I overtook my mother." Jenny said.

"That means you were perfect." Timothy said, sharing some frog with Sienna.

"How do you know?" Veronica said immediately. "What if her mother had done lousy in her tests?"

"Veronica," Sienna said, "her mother is an auror, and that means she did well.'

"And that means you were perfect." David said, looking straight at her in the eyes. "Flawless." He finished.

Jenny turned red.

"So," Sienna said suddenly. "What are you taking for third year, Veronica?"

"Care of Magical Creatures," Veronica started. "Ancient Runes, and Divination."

"Don't take Runes, it's boring." Timothy said.

"You, Jenny?" Sienna asked.

"Arithmancy, Runes, Muggle Studies." Jenny answered.

"I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures," Sienna said on her own. "Divination, and Muggle Studies."

"I made Torien take the same subjects," Timothy said, munching some wafer. "they are all very easy, you won't strain yourself."

Veronica's eyes met Sienna's. Sienna looked away immediately.

"You will be allowed a Hogsmeade visit this time," David said suddenly, looking at Jenny. Jenny turned red again.

"Yeah," Timothy said, looking at Sienna.

"I don't know who will sign my form." Sienna said.

Nobody said anything to this. Then Jenny said-"You have your fifth year, David? The OWL year?"

"Yeah, the OWL one." He answered. Jenny looked at him for a moment, then said-"When I will have my owl year, I will totally concentrate on my studies."

Veronica said, "Like you don't do now, right?"

"No really," Jenny said, aware that David was staring at her with the same dazed look that Uncle Willy had stared at Aunt Tia with. "One should really focus on OWLs, they affect our future, you know."

"Yeah," Timothy said, staring absent-mindedly outside the window. Veronica was looking at Jenny with boredom, David was still staring, and Sienna was giving her a very peculiar look.

"You're right," David said, nodding his head in agreement. "one should." Sienna glanced at him, then passed a smile at Jenny.

"Shut up all this boring talk," Veronica said, opening her water bottle. " It's making my head ache."

Just then, the door opened. It was Anthony.

"Hi," he said to all of them. "Hi," then to Veronica.

"Hi," Veronica said, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "What happened, Anthony?"

"I came here to remind you to keep practising this summer." He said, suddenly stern. "I want better of you on broom, and I know you can."

"Oh yeah, like I will have time." Veronica said, when he left their compartment, sliding the door shut.

"Why?" Sienna asked. "You going on a holiday?"

"I wish it was that." Veronica said bitterly. "Even a holiday with Aunt Romaina would have been okay."

"Who's Romaina?" Timothy asked interestedly.

"She's a muggle friend of my mother's." Veronica answered. "She's very finicky, and she insists on me calling her 'Aunt Romaina'."

"But why won't you have time?" Jenny asked.

"You don't know, but she's getting married in July." Veronica said, scowling. "And usually, there's a lot to do. Then we have to shift too. And don't forget, I am the 'Maid of Horror'."

Sienna chuckled, Jenny sent Veronica a reproving glance.

"Er, who's getting married in your family?" Timothy asked.

"No one." Veronica said. Then she added to Sienna and Jenny-"She has asked me to invite you two as well."

"To-to the wedding?" Sienna asked.

"You two will be coming two weeks beforehand." Veronica said. "And of course, she'll be inviting your family for the wedding." She added to Jenny.

"You've got it all planned out already?" Sienna asked.

"_They _have got it all planned out," Veronica corrected her. "but I suggested inviting you two to spend two weeks with us."

"There it is, the train is stopping." Jenny said looking outside the window. "Grab your luggage!" Every one scrambled for their stuff.

"Why are you not moving?" Jenny asked Veronica, who was feebly looking under her seat, trying to show that she was looking for something.

"_He_ will be outside," She hissed, meaning her would-be-step-father. "And I don't want to be seen with him."

"Come on, Jenny let's go." Sienna said and marched outside. Veronica stared after her sadly.

"Bye then," Jenny said, heading for the door.

"I'll write to both of you," Veronica called after her.

As Jenny landed on the stone floor of the platform, she stepped on someone's foot.

"Sorry!" She said.

"Never mind," Regulus said.

"Oh Hi!" Jenny said, she had not seen him since the incident in the shortcut. "How did your exams go?"

"Good," he said, walking towards the shade. "Yours?"

"Not bad," Jenny said.

Regulus smiled. "From what I've heard from Slughorn," he said. "You're excellent."

"Oh, Professor Slughorn just-" Jenny said, when a voice called her name-"Jenny!"

She turned, and Gwen flew into her arms. Behind Gwen, Aunt Tia was walking.

"How is my sweetie?" Aunt Tia said, hugging her tightly. "Come on, let's go home. Granny Jones is waiting for you."     


	18. Chapter 18

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

**VERONICA'S HOME**

_Jenny, hi_

_I am having the worst time of my life .My father, Ben, as mum calls him, is one idiot you need to watch out for. His son, Clarke, has that typical American accent and he has a pet chimpanzee! The chimpanzee's name is Alex, and Clarke really talks to her, oh yes, the chimpanzee is a she._

_Mum is going mad; she can not decide whether to have a magical wedding or a simple muggle one. I think she is just considering the magical one because of me, or else she would've gone straight for the muggle one, my mother is very impressed by the muggles. Skitt comes daily to our home, sometimes his daughters come too. I think Clarke likes the eldest one, Shaina. Shaina is fifteen, and she and her sisters go to Salem's Witches Institute. The other two girls are Uma, and Rita. Rita is one year senior to us and Uma will start school this year. Shaina is very beautiful, and so are Uma and Rita. Rita is a little nosy; she keeps asking me funny questions about Clarke._

_                                                                                          Clarke had a birthday present for me when I got home. It's a guitar; it's a muggle music instrument. I'll show you when you'll come, it's horrible, the worst present I've ever got. Also tell your parents that my mum and step-father will be coming over to your place this weekend to invite your family and you. We are going to go and get Sienna this Friday. Keep your bag packed, you'll be leaving with us, your mum agrees-_ "You did not tell me she wrote to you." Jenny said to her mother, who was reading the Daily Prophet.

"Slipped my mind," She said. Then, "Her mother had written to daddy, he told me."

"Oh," Jenny said. Then-"You have no problem with me spending two weeks at Veronica's place?"

"No," She said.

Feeling extremely happy, Jenny continued her letter reading.

-_she says we can invite you till August! So mum has invited you over till mid-august! After that, my father and she will be going on their 'horror-moon'-_

"Her mother is having a muggle wedding," Mrs. Jones said, her eyes still on the paper.

"But Veronica says her mother is considering it…"

"She wrote it in the letter she sent," Mrs. Jones said. "Saying as her husband is a muggle, it makes sense to have a muggle wedding."

Jenny wondered how Veronica will react at this.

"So I will send you with some thousand pounds when you'll go over to their place, okay?" Mrs. Jones said.

"Why?" Jenny asked wondering at the same time what pounds were.

"To buy your wedding dress," Mrs. Jones said absent mindedly, and then quickly-"I mean to buy the dress you will wear at the wedding."

"Why can't we buy it before I go over to their place?" Jenny asked, trying to keep the colour out of her face.

"Your friend's mother, Em, yes, Eminem, insists that you buy your dress when they go and buy their own. And I agree, I don't know much about what should be worn at a muggle wedding."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was the Sunday when Veronica was going to come. Jenny had already packed her stuff with Aunt Tia's help. Granny was feeling very dispirited that Jenny was going, she kept herself aloof from their packing. Jenny had started feeling worried after lunch, what if Veronica's mother did not arrive? What if she did not like the idea of two extra kids at a home at the time of marriage preparations? What if she changed her mind completely and called off the wedding? She was sure Veronica would very happily accept the offer but Jenny really wanted to spend time with her friends.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door. It was Mr. Jones.

"Jenny, I'm going." He said, looking at her through his glasses. Jenny stared at him.

"Okay," She said, her stomach sinking.

"It's already four now," He said, looking at his watch. "and they are still not here. When did your friend say they'll be here?"

Jenny did not answer. Veronica had written _'after lunch'_. But it could be anytime after lunch, maybe straight after lunch, or maybe in the evening, or before dinner even that was also _after _lunch.

"Fi is there," Mr. Jones said. "But only for another hour I suppose, then she will leave too. But don't worry; Aunt Tia is there to receive them." He shut the door and left, leaving Jenny behind who slumped down on her bed.

                                                              Around four-thirty, Aunt Tia bound open her door.

"Jenny!" She said, trying to wake her up. "Jenny get up, your friend's parents are here!"

"Wh-Mum don't go-" Jenny said stupidly.

"Nobody is going except you, they are here, Jenny. Veronica's parents!"

 "They've come?" Jenny asked, setting her hair the proper way.

"Yes, go down, I'll go wake your mumma." Aunt Tia said.

Jenny bounded down the stairs, towards the drawing room, where the silhouette of two figures sitting beside the window  could be seen.

Jenny's eyes fell on Veronica's mother first, and her first thought was-_"What a_ _Beauty!"_ She had waist length hair, the same sandy colour of Veronica's, her eyes were big and beautiful, her lips as if sculpted,  a peachy complexion, and a slender figure. Except the sandy hair and the lips, she and Veronica had nothing in common as a mother and daughter. And she also looked young to be a thirteen year olds' mother.

                         Then Jenny saw Veronica's would-be-step-father, Benito Cosimo D'Medisi, and felt that except the fact that he was a muggle, and his bride was a witch, they looked made for each other. He had dark hair, and handsome, brown eyes. He was darker than his bride, his skin looked tanned, and he was tall and lean. Also, he was looking around the drawing room excitedly.

Jenny entered the drawing room apprehensively, feeling suddenly small and insignificant infront of that handsome couple.

"Oh, hello, Jenny." Veronica's mother, Eminem spoke immediately. "You are, Jenny, right?" she added.

"Yes I am." Jenny said, smiling at her. Eminem patted the seat beside her. "Sit next to me, I want to see you properly."

Ben smiled at her as he asked his question. "You are a witch too?"

"Yes," Jenny replied. He beamed at her in reply. "And your mother?"

"Yes, she too." Jenny replied wondering why he was so happy about it.

Aunt Tia entered, Ben and Eminem jumped to their feet.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones." Ben greeted her, giving her a slight bow.

"Er, I am not her mother," She said offering them their seats again. "I am her aunty, Fiona is coming, please sit down."

"Yeah, I thought you were too young to be her mother." Veronica's mother said, sitting down again.

Jenny was immediately reminded of Veronica's straight-forward and sometimes blunt behaviour.

"You're a witch too?" Ben asked excitedly.

"I've told you, Ben, this is a wizarding house, all of them are magic." Veronica's mother said.

"Yeah, right," Ben said, smiling at Aunt Tia. "Sorry, huh, but I get excited, never thought I'll see witches _in real_!" He said, smiling at his good luck.

"Would you like some mead, Mrs.-er….." Aunt Tia said, looking at Veronica's mother.

Veronica's mother laughed. "Call me Mrs. Medisi,"

"D'Medisi," Ben corrected her.

"Yeah, Mrs. D'Medisi,"

Just then, Mrs. Jones entered the drawing room. Ben and Veronica's mother jumped to their feet again.

"Hello," Veronica's mother said, pushing forward her hand. "pleased to meet you."

"Same here," Mrs. Jones said, wringing her hand.

"So, you'll take her away for three weeks?" Mrs. Jones said, once they had settled down.

"Four, actually." Veronica's mother said. "Veronica is quite excited her friends are coming, so after the wedding, we are going to have a family trip to France, and she wants her friends to come along too."

"Oh," Mrs. Jones said, "Won't you two would want some time er, alone? After the wedding..."

"Oh no," Veronica's mother said. "We've had enough 'alone time' already, we'll be going for this holiday, my good friend, Robert Skitt, he teaches quidditch at Hogwarts, he will be there too, with his family, but I'll understand if you…"

"I have no problem," Mrs. Jones said. "but Jenny's homework-"

"I've completed it," Jenny said immediately. "I completed it two weeks ago."

"And Veronica has not even started," Veronica's mother said, shaking her head.

"So that's settled," Mrs. Jones said. "I have no problem her spending this august with you."

"We will be dropping her two weeks before September 1rst, okay?" Veronica's mother said.

"Good," Mrs. Jones said.

"Here is the invitation card," Ben said, giving her a card.

"Er, what language is this?" Mrs. Jones asked, staring at it.

"Sorry, that's the Italian one, here's English for you." Ben snatched back the card.

"The wedding's on 21st of July," Veronica's mother said. "the venue is written. I'll be really glad if you'll come."

"Sure we will." Mrs. Jones said, then she said-"Should I send the luggage after you?"

"No thanks, we still have some work in the muggle market," Veronica's mother said, getting up from her chair. "I'll leave her at our home by floo, if you don't mind, that is." She added.

"Of course not," Mrs. Jones said, moving towards the fireplace. "here, Jenny, mind the suitcases." She said to Jenny as at her wand's flick, two large suitcases came zooming towards her.

"Bye Aunty," Jenny said to Aunt Tia. Aunt Tia gave her a hug in reply.

"Buy a good dress," she said. "and don't buy in yellow or peach, they don't go well with your skin tone."

"Oh yes, the dress..." Veronica's mother said immediately.

"I have given her a money pouch," Mrs. Jones said, pointing at the fireplace with her wand where fire sprung and then offering Jenny some floo powder. "It has worth of containing three thousand pounds atleast ten times, without getting empty…"

"Three thousand pounds!" Ben exclaimed loudly. Veronica's mother also had the same expression of shock.

"Do-don't you-think three thousand pounds ten times would be too much?" She asked, floo powder sifting from between her fingers.

"I did not know how much was too much," Mrs. Jones said, smiling at their reactions. "thought it was safe to be on the greater side. How much is it, actually?"

"It's like giving fifty thousand galleons for a set of robes worth fifty galleons!"

"Whoa!" Mrs. Jones said, "never mind, she'll not over spend it, right Jenny?"

"Right, mumma." Jenny said.

"Bye," Aunt Tia said again.

"Okay, you ready, Jenny?" Veronica's mother asked.

"Ready," Jenny said.

"Okay," She threw the floo powder in the fireplace, with a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose higher than her, as if suddenly fuelled. She made Jenny stand in the middle of the flames, and then instructed,-"Hear carefully, _Nouvelle Lune, London, _Listen again, okay, _Nouvelle Lune,_ _London_…speak loud and clear, okay, this is French, maybe you'll…"

_"Nouvelle Lune, __London__!" _Jenny shouted, and the familiar feeling of being sucked down a moving pipe started. Jenny shut her eyes tightly, her elbows crossed over her chest as if trying to hold on to her shoulders. She could feel her long hair whipping around her face, as if being blown by the wind. Just as she had had enough of the heat, the spinning stopped and she stepped out of the grate.

"Sit down," Came Sienna's voice.

"Hi," Jenny said, brushing soot off her shoulder, smiling at Sienna, who was sitting on a counter. The lights were dim; at first it gave an impression as if she was in a hotel. Looking around, she noticed that she was standing in the kitchen of Veronica's house; there were lots of pots and pans hanging on the wall facing her. Outside the kitchen, some music was being played, it was the kind of music Jenny had heard at David's birthday party one year back, now it was only slower. The clinking of glasses and cluttering of plates could be heard along with the soft buzz of people talking.

"Is there a party going on here?" Jenny asked, sitting down in a chair at the counter, infront of Sienna.

"No," Sienna shaking her head sleepily. "There's no party, that's just some people eating out there."

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked, wondering what was wrong with her.

"I am fine," Sienna said, shaking her head again. "Just a little tired, that's it…."

Just then, there was a loud crack and Jenny's two suitcases appeared infront of the grate.

"What was that?" Sienna asked suddenly, in a quite sharp voice different than the one she was speaking in before. "What broke?"

"Nothing broke," Jenny said. "Veronica's mother sent my luggage after me, see-"

 she pointed at the two large black suitcases, standing infront of the fireplace.

Sienna looked at her strangely, as if seeing her for the first time. Then, she shrieked.

"JENNY!"

"What?!" Jenny asked as Sienna jumped off her seat and rushed to hug her.

"Oh Jenny! When did you come?! I never noticed you were there…."

"You have been talking to me for the last five minutes!" Jenny said, hugging her back, and laughing at her.

"Oh, I am so sorry, I am feeling too sleepy, and we got up at four-thirty in the morning today, didn't realise I was talking to you, I though it was Shaina or someone else…"

Just then, two giggling girls came in the kitchen, carrying stacks of plates in their hands. One of them had hair upto her jaw, and it was jet black. She had a parchment pale skin, which gave her a striking combination with her jet black hair. Her eyes had this bluish-green colour that made her look very attractive in the dim light. With her was a girl, exactly her copy, except the skin tone and shoulder length hair.

                Both the girls stopped when they saw Jenny. Then the one with jaw-cut hair spoke-"Er, Hi."

"Hello," Jenny said in return.

"You are Samantha, right?" the younger one asked her.

"Yes," Jenny answered.

"She just came," Sienna said. "this is Shaina," she said, pointing to the elder one with jaw-cut hair. "and she is her younger sister, Uma."

"Hello," Jenny shook their hands in hers.

"Ronnie-" (Jenny was shocked!) "-speaks a lot about you," Shaina said, keeping the plates in the sink.

"Yeah, she was really waiting for you to come," Uma said, opening a big white coloured metal box and extracting a water bottle from it. "Want some water?" She asked, showing her the bottle.

"Yes, thank you." Jenny said, looking at the box curiously, she had never seen anything like it before.

"This is called a fridge, Jenny." Sienna explained, catching the curious expression on her face. "Muggles use it to keep their food and water chilled. It runs on electricity,"

"They keep water in it all the time?" Jenny asked, touching the metal surface of the fridge. "Even in winters?"

"They use it winters, but don't keep water in it." Uma said, drinking some.

"Are you hungry?" Shaina asked, looking over at her from top to bottom. "I think we have some of those noodles still here."

"I am not hungry, thanks." Jenny said.

"Let's get out of the kitchen; Ronnie will be really happy to see you." Uma said, and taking her arm, led her outside.

Outside too, there was a dim light on. All the white curtains were drawn, blocking the sunlight and throwing white patches of light around. The place outside the kitchen was easily recognisable as the dining place; a table was placed in the middle of the room. The table had worth of sitting ten people at a time, and most of it was filled right now. Going further, the wooden floor led to the drawing room, which was dark right now.

"Oh, hello Samantha!" Mr. Skitt called. "Veronica has just gone to the bathroom, here, sit down." He said, as he drew a chair for her.

Jenny sat down next to a girl with shoulder length blonde hair.

"This is my wife," Mr. Skitt said, introducing the woman sitting in front of him.

Jenny greeted her, noticing at the same time that Shaina and Uma had inherited their mother's good looks. "and this is Romaina, Ron-Veronica's aunt."

Romaina smiled at Jenny. "This is my daughter Rita," Mr. Skitt went on. Jenny smiled at the girl sitting next to her. "and this man is Clarke, Ben's son, I think you know who Ben is, you must have met him before you came here, he is-"

 "Veronica's father, I know." Jenny said, her eyes on the boy sitting infront of her. Clarke looked like a younger version of his father, except the build. Ben was tall, but he was lean and thin, where as his son was tall but slightly muscly infront of him.

Clarke pushed his hand forward. "How d'you do?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I'm fine, thank you." Jenny said automatically. Clarke looked amused at her instant reply, but turned his attention to Shaina as she came and sat down beside him.

Looking around, Jenny could see that the place was full of good-looking people. Skitt looked good too, his wife was certainly very beautiful, Shaina and Uma were beautiful like her too, Rita resembled her father a little bit, but she also had pleasing features, Veronica's aunt Romaina was a dusky beauty, she looked like an Anglo-Indian, Clarke was obviously very handsome, and Sienna (who had just walked in sleepily) was also looking good, with her back-long blonde hair, and peachy skin like Veronica's mother.

"Where's Eminem?" Romaina asked Jenny.

"Er, she-she said that they had to do some work…"

"Yes! He has taken her to buy the ring!" she said excitedly to Mrs. Skitt, who turned to her. "I hope she chooses the pink one that I suggested to Ben, it'll look good on her."

"Oh, come on Roma, one can not wear a _pink_ diamond as a wedding ring!" Mrs. Skitt said who was wearing some muggle dress in red.

"Why not?" Romaina said, touching the pink diamond strung onto the gold chain at her neck. "I think pink looks pretty authentic,"

"Pink looks childish," Mrs. Skitt continued, dismissing Romaina's thoughts. "Emmy is not a child; pink would be a very foolish choice as a wedding ring for her."

 "What about blue?" Shaina joined in the conversation.

"Blue is not a good wedding colour," Mrs. Skitt said immediately. "It's too blue."

"She already has a white diamond," Romaina said. "this means she will go for something new."

"But not a pink diamond!" Mrs. Skitt said, looking scandalously at her. "Pink would be a foolish choice!"

"Er, where is Veronica?" Jenny asked Rita.

"Upstairs, in her room."

Jenny got up, and shook Sienna awake (who had fallen asleep in the middle of this pink diamond fight) and asked her to show her Veronica's room. Clarke smiled at her as she got up, maybe at her robes; to him it looked like an odd dress.

  Sienna led her up the stairs; it was looking like she was sleep-walking. They passed the first landing and turned left at the second, Veronica had a big house.

"How many rooms are here?" Jenny asked Sienna, looking back at the doors on their right.

"Seven," Sienna replied in a sleepy voice, moving towards a door that had-_Knock First!_ pasted on it in paper. Sienna, on the contrary, did not knock, and instead opened the door straight away to reveal a figure lying on a bed, the lights in the room off.

                 Veronica's room was not big, not small, and around the same size as Jenny's. There were two windows in the room, both of them left wide open, the wind sailing in the room merrily. There was a grate too, in the corner of the room. The floor was carpeted, hiding its polished wooden surface. Set infront of the window facing the door, was a mahogany study table which looked out of place with Veronica's assembled collection of posters on the surrounding walls. There was a poster of the seeker of the quidditch team of England, Roderick Plumpton. Instead of one, single bed for Veronica, there were three beds in the room.

"These for us?" Jenny asked, pointing at the beds.

"Yeah," Sienna said, moving towards the lump lying on the bed that was Veronica. "Get up, Veronica, Jenny's here."


	19. Chapter 19

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND IN NO WAY WILL VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**TWO WEEKS OF PURE SHOCK AND FUN**

"Get up!" Sienna said. "Veronica! Get _up_!"

Jenny looked around, noticing some thing on the study table, she said to Sienna-"Let me do it," She picked that thing, her hands moving towards Veronica's feet, which were sticking out of her bed.

"OW!" Veronica shot up, massaging her foot sole, "Jenny! Is that a way to wake someone up?! Prick the person?!"

"You did it to me too, remember?" Jenny said, smiling wickedly, throwing the needle in her hand back at the table.

"When did you come?" Veronica asked, motioning her to sit down.

"Just half an hour ago," Jenny said, sinking down in the bed behind her.

"I have been waiting for you since _ages_," Veronica said, still massaging her sole.

"mum was late, right?"

  "I think she came around four thirty," Jenny said, looking at Sienna, who had sunk down in the last unoccupied bed. 

"That _is _late," Veronica said, "you were supposed to be here before three."

"What happened to her?" Jenny asked, pointing at Sienna.

"Oh she," Veronica said, yawning. "we were supposed to go get her at Friday morning, but as usual, mum was late, so Sienna arrived last night, after travelling all the way from Wales and she got up around four thirty with us in the morning with us-"

"You get up at four-thirty everyday?" Jenny asked, feeling shocked that Veronica could actually accomplish it.

"Not everyday stupid," She said. "that chimp's daughter set up the fire alarm, the whole sofa was on fire-"

"Whose daughter?" Jenny asked, feeling shocked that Veronica called a teacher and the best friend of her mother, a chimpanzee.

"That chimp's," Veronica said, scowling at the floor, as if she could see through it. "Alex, she stole aunt Roma's cigar-lighter and went played with it when everyone went to sleep!"

"Er, I need to know some things." Jenny said, "First of all, what is a cigar lighter, then what a fire alarm is, and who is Alex?"

"I hope you know what a cigar is," Veronica asked irritably. "so, a cigar lighter is used to light a cigar. A fire alarm is a muggle thing for emergencies in fire accidents-"

"It extinguishes the fire?" Jenny asked, feeling impressed by the muggles' inventions. "It helps to extinguish the fire, and it sounds on the fire alarm when smoke reaches it," Veronica explained. "and lastly, I don't think you read my letters carefully because if you'd've, you'd've known who Alex is!"

"You are referring to that chimpanzee," Jenny said slowly. "the pet chimpanzee of your step brother Clarke-"

"**He** is the chimpanzee!" Veronica said angrily. "He is the **real** one! And Alex is his daughter!"

Jenny laughed. Veronica's instant hate to her step father and step brother was really amusing.

"Where is she, by the way?" Jenny asked, reaching the open window, peeping outside. "I didn't see her down there."

"That would be because it's her 'nap' time," Veronica said, running her fingers in her hair. It was only then that Jenny noticed.

"Oh my god!" She gasped. "You cut your hair!"

"You noticed it now?" Veronica said. "You like it?"

Veronica had cut her hair from her jaw to her shoulder, in a kind of 'U' style. The look was suiting her, she was looking different, but to Jenny, she was better off with her long locks.

"Veronica!" Jenny said. "You had such long, beautiful hair! Why did you cut it?"

"Well, Aunt Roma suggested it, and Monica cut it-"

"Who's Monica?" Jenny asked.

"You haven't met her?" Veronica asked. "They haven't left yet, have they Sienna? Has Monica left? Sienna?"

Sienna did not answer. Instead, she adjusted her head on the pillow.

"She's off to sleep," Veronica said. "anyway, I'm sure you'd've met Robert down there?"

"Robert?" Jenny repeated.

"Skitt!" Veronica said. "Robert Skitt! Sure you know him! He teaches at Hogwarts!"

"Yeah, I know him;" Jenny said. "he is down there with his wife and daughters-"

"Monica is his wife," Veronica said, yawning. "she met Robert through my mother-"

"Is she an American witch?" Jenny asked. "I saw her eye colour, it was that stamped bright blue they have most often."

"She's an American, right, but she's not a witch." Veronica said.

"You mean, she is a mu-" Jenny said slowly.

"She's a squib," Veronica said. "my mother knew her because their parents were friends and all, and Robert and she met at one of the Christmas parties my mum used to throw for her muggle friends-"

"She has other muggle friends too?" Jenny asked.

"Of course she does," Veronica said. "can't you see she's obsessed with them?"

Nobody spoke for a few moments. Then Jenny tried to change the topic.

"So, why the Skitt sisters go to Salem, I mean, why not Hogwarts, their father teaches there!"

"Well, all because of Monica." Veronica said, getting up from her bed. "She was sent off to her squib aunty who lived in America and so she had an American up bringing, what are we doing?" She said suddenly, looking at Jenny in disgust. "Discussing my mother's friends, their lives! God! Let's go down, Jenny, maybe mum has arrived by now….."

She opened the door and bounded down the stairs. Jenny got up, took one look at Sienna who was sleeping soundly, and followed Veronica, but only less loudly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Being at Veronica's home was one eccentric experience Jenny would remember for life. Jenny's mother was fond of singing songs in French, Italian, and English. She would be singing every time Jenny would go for a shower, for, unfortunately, there was only one toilet-cum-bathroom in that big house. Jenny found her the most amazing as well as the most shocking person at the same time. Eminem was lively, energetic, full of zeal for fun, which, according to Jenny was something she had never seen in her own mother. Her mother was dominant, nobody could change her mind if she had made it up, but she also had zeal and energy, but it was of a very different kind, it looked kind of…… graceful, infront of Veronica's mother. And that was what that made her think of Veronica's mother as an amazing, as well as the most shocking person at the same time.

                                                        Veronica had the most different life Jenny had thought of her to have. She (Veronica) used to argue with her mother, with her step father, with Clarke, fret around at the state of things even if they were right, just because she did not like that her mother was getting married. Jenny could never do it, she could never be so tantrumatic (means someone who has a habit of throwing tantrums). Jenny would always reprimand her whenever she did it, (and that meant every day) but this had no effect on Veronica. Sienna, on the other hand, accepted Veronica's mother, Eminem's sometimes erratic behaviour as if she knew her since childhood. This quite amazed Jenny because even if she reprimanded Veronica on her behaviour, there were times when she used to privately agree with her.

Other  wise, the days were going fine. Clarke and Ben used to live with them, and this used greatly to embarrass Jenny when Ben and Eminem would wish them good night together and retire to bed together, in the same room. Jenny could not blame Veronica for feeling bad and protesting about it in her own way, because even Jenny agreed, a couple should not behave in this manner, and that too so openly even if they are going to get married two weeks later. Nobody, except her and Veronica were perturbed by this open display of love, not even Sienna. She was sure shocked the first day, but the next time, she wished them 'gudnite' as if she had been seeing it since years. Clarke had a room for himself on the same landing as Veronica's, but he always used to go to bed quite late. Jenny, Sienna and Veronica used to go to bed late too, but never after twelve. They would sit in the cushy couches in the living room, and watch late night repeat episodes of 'Bewitched', an old television soap.

                         Jenny asked Veronica what did _'Nouvelle Lune'_ meant, and she said it meant New Moon in French. The days here were spent helping Roma make dinner, or packing vases or other ornamental items that were fragile and needed to be handled with care, as Eminem had told Sienna and Jenny, Ben had bought a house for her as a wedding gift and they were going to shift to that house. The Skitt sisters used to come most of the days, and this meant that they had to add a few extra chairs to the mahogany dining table at lunch time. Jenny's long beautiful long hairs were an object of praise by Ben and jealousy by Shaina and Uma. Veronica never wore any kind of robes, and nor did anyone else except Mr. Skitt and Jenny who did not have enough muggle clothes. Roma and Monica would also come most of the days, as Roma lived two doors away and Monica with her husband and daughters. They could be seen everyday at lunch, serving them roasted potatoes and chicken legs with lettuce salad, arguing about whether or not they should have Bouillabaisse on the menu of the reception or not.

                      Finally after one week, Jenny, along with the Skitt sisters were taken to a muggle shop to buy their dresses (Jenny wearing a pair of Veronica's pants) for the wedding by Roma and Monica (Ben and Eminem had already left to book a hotel for Ben's relatives) in Roma's car. Jenny knew what it was; they also had a car at home. Roma had a ford, and it looked quite old fashioned to Jenny infront of her own.

"This would go slow," Roma said, ushering Sienna into the car after the Skitt sisters. "not with the usual spurt of speed they have, those-what do you call'ems?"

"Broomsticks," Veronica said, trying to avoid Roma's hand at her head as she tried to get in after Sienna. "and for Merlin's sake, don't speak so loudly about them."

Jenny, who was next to her, thought Roma would take offence at Veronica's tone. But Roma just slapped her lightly at the back of her head and said "Shut up, Ronnie,"

Now, thinking rationally, Jenny could feel a little of a spoilt-sport coming. Exactly how would six girls fit in the back seat, was something she thought, Roma, who was going to drive, or Monica, who was sitting next to the driver's seat, had not paid attention to.

"Get in dear," Roma said, her hand at Jenny's head, trying to push her inside the car. "we have a tight schedule!"

"Er, don't you think we'll be a little-"

"No we won't, now get in; London's traffic is not exactly easy to cross at this time."

Jenny put her head in, and her eyebrows rose. Nobody was uncomfortable in there, but was very easily comfortably seated.

"What were you thinking?" Veronica said, pulling her inside, at her shocked expression. "we'll be sitting in each other's laps?"

"Yeah," Roma said, pulling the seatbelt over herself. "You have certain plus points of having a witch for a friend!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Buying the dress was a little tricky for Jenny. Whatever she was picking up, was being pronounced as old-fashioned by Roma and Monica. Sienna was trying to help Jenny, bringing her the dress designs she liked in the magazine at the table counter. Shaina and Uma left on their own to wander in that big shop, not even asking their mother for assistance to select a dress. Veronica left on her own too, telling off Roma, to not come after her. Monica sat down in a chair and started going through one of the design magazines.

"Here, buy this one," Sienna said, showing her a gown with no shoulder in peach. "I'm sure it'd look good on you."

"It doesn't have any shoulder, Sienna!" Jenny said, looking at her as if she was going mad.

"What's wrong in a dress with no shoulder?" Sienna asked.

"My parents would kill me!" Jenny said, turning the page.  "And besides, this is in peach, and peach doesn't go with me. Isn't there something in purple or dark blue?"

"Come on; go for something other than these wizard colours!" Sienna said.

By the end of the three hours they had spent at that shop, Jenny, Veronica, Shaina, Rita and Uma had a gown for themselves, and Clarke, a silver tuxedo. Jenny's cost her two thousand pounds, and it was infact the most cheaply gown of the lot. Shaina and Uma did not settle for anything less than four pounds, and Veronica's was around three thousand. Sienna did not buy any gown as she had brought one along with her. And then they entered the London traffic in that old fashioned car once again to buy footwear for themselves.

Jenny was getting tired of this shopping spree, it was afternoon, and her stomach was rumbling. So when they entered the footwear shop, Jenny was the first and the quickest one to find her a pair of belles that would go with her gown. So after another hour and a half, they finally left for home.

"I think we should stop somewhere to eat." Veronica said, noticing Jenny looking at the bakery shop they were passing with hungry eyes.

"Sorry Ronnie, but please control your hunger for a little more, we are nearing home, and Emmy had said she'd be waiting for us with lunch by afternoon."

"Then we'll be eating by the evening," Veronica said.

But Veronica was wrong, Eminem was really waiting for them to come home with the table all laid out.

"You are late!" she said, opening the door for them. "I have been waiting for you since afternoon!"

"Sorry," Monica said, looking at her daughters. "but _someone_ was taking a lot of time to choose."

"What did you buy?" Eminem asked Veronica.

"A gown," Veronica said and sat down at the table.

"Did Robby come?" Monica asked.

"Yeah he did," Eminem answered. "Ben and he had lunch and then they left for the cathedral."

"Cathedral?" Uma asked, tipping gravy in Jenny's bowl.

"They've gone to reserve a priest." Eminem explained. "The one we had done earlier is in hospital now."

 "What is going to happen after the wedding?" Clarke asked.

"The reception of the bride and groom," Roma said, keeping a pair of chicken legs in Uma's plate. "and then you'll go to your new home."

"New home," Veronica said, looking at her mother thoughtfully. "can I know where it is?"

"Ask your aunty," She answered. "even I don't know where it is, or how much big it is, Ben is insisting on giving me a surprise."

"Wow." Veronica said dully and returned to the chicken legs. Then suddenly, her head shot up.

"Wait a minute!" She said loudly. "This means we'll be shifting!"

"Yes," Eminem nodded. "that's why I had been making you all to help pack stuff."

"I'll be shifting too?" Veronica asked.

"Of course you idiot!" Roma said. "You think you'd be left behind?"

"Oh no!" Veronica slammed the chicken leg on her plate. "Mum! We just shifted here one year back! Why can't we just continue living here? I don't want to go through that shifting business again!"

"Robby will be helping," Monica said, passing the rolls to Uma.

"And according to custom Veronica," Clarke spoke. "a bride goes to her groom's home, not vice-versa."

"You shut up, chimp!" Veronica retorted.

"Veronica!" Eminem said. "Don't speak like that to your elder brother!"

 "I don't have any elder brother!" Veronica shouted and, kicking her chair back, left the dining room and bounded up the stairs. A moment later, they heard a door slam.

Jenny looked nervously at Clarke, but he did not seem perturbed. He noticed her gaze and smiled his handsome smile at him.

"I know she doesn't mean it," he said. "that's what you were going to say to me right?"

"Er," Jenny said.

"She's been like this all summer." Uma said. "But she'll get used to it."

"Used to it?" Sienna repeated.

"That's what she's like," Shaina said, fishing for a lettuce in the salad bowl. "Veronica. She never accepts anything, but 'gets used to it'. Atleast that's what she says."

"Okay, Clarke," Eminem said, getting all the dishes done with one swipe of her wand. "daddy asked me to tell you to be ready when he comes to get you, to go to the new house. Pack your things and be ready before six, okay?"

"Okay," Clarke said, and got up to wash his hands.

"Why should he pack his things?" Shaina asked her.

"They're going," Monica said. "You'll be seeing them in the church later."

"Oh yes," Shaina said, trying to drain the anxiety out of her face. "at the wedding, tradition….fine…"

Clarke passed her just then, flashing his smile at her. She blinked, trying not to smile back. Uma and Rita giggled. Monica cleared her throat loudly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was the wedding day. Everyone got up early to take a bath, ahead of others. This meant total chaos at 5:30 in the morning. Everyone, i.e. Shaina, Uma, Rita, Monica, Roma, Sienna, and Jenny were banging on the door one by one as Veronica had shut herself up in the bathroom.

"The more you pound, the more time I'll take to come out!" Veronica hollered from inside.

"Ronnie! I'm getting _married _today!" Eminem shouted, banging on the door with her fist.

"Oh really, mama? I didn't know _that_!" She shouted back, quite sarcastically.

"Ten more minutes!" Roma said to the door. "Ten more minutes and you are coming out!"

Well, it took all of them total three hours to take a bath. After Veronica, the bride took the bath, then Monica, and then Roma. Jenny was the last one to take a bath, she had longest hair, and that meant that washing them took time.

When Jenny came out, Roma and Monica were serving and eating breakfast quite hurriedly to the girls as well as to the bride herself.

"Jenny," Eminem said, gulping down orange juice. "Come here,"

She waved her wand at Jenny's wet and tangled long hair, they immediately straightened, all dry.

"Keep it like that," Shaina, said to her as she sat down beside her at the table. "this hairstyle."

"I was thinking of using the clip that Veronica sent me," Jenny said.

"I'll do your hair for you, but eat first." Monica said, helping herself to a sandwich.

"Are you two ready?" Jenny asked Uma and Rita, who were both wearing robes over their gowns.

"Just the hair left." Uma replied, looking at her reflection in the back of the spoon.

"Where are Veronica and Sienna?" Jenny asked.

"In their rooms," Monica said, whisking away Eminem's plate as she finished breakfast. "they had breakfast before they got ready. Jenny, if you're done, no leave the plate, I'll take it, but go upstairs and get ready."

Jenny knocked on the door. "Is it you, Jenny?" Sienna's voice asked.

"Yeah," Jenny said, wondering what had happened now to make Sienna check before opening the door.

The door opened and Jenny gasped.

Sienna was standing there, wearing a white gown in a see-through fabric, a trail of it behind her. Her hairs were open, a brooch holding a few flicks at the back. The sleeves of the gown came upto her elbows, ending in deep bell sleeves. All this simplicity was suiting her, and was highlighting her beauty.

"You look beautiful!" Jenny said, coming inside.

"Look at Veronica," Sienna said, smiling in reply. The surprise Jenny saw with Sienna was nothing compared to Veronica's.

Veronica was standing in front of the mirror, her back to Jenny. But this was not the Veronica she was; she looked different, even from the back.

"Veronica, come on! You look good!" Sienna said.

Veronica turned slowly, and Jenny gasped.

"Oh Merlin!"

 Veronica was wearing a pale green dress in satin, the gown was layered, and she was looking very good, but Jenny still couldn't help noticing that the gown had no shoulder.

"This gown has no shoulder!" Jenny said.

Sienna turned to her. "Isn't she looking beautiful?"

"Well, yes, she is," Jenny said. "But-but, Sienna, no shoulder!"

"So what?" Sienna said. "When you'll see the Skitt sisters' gowns, you'll see what exactly is in the fashion now-a-days."

 "But all this skin!" Jenny said, pointing at Veronica's bare shoulder.

"This is in the fashion, Jenny!" Sienna said, pushing the flicks falling on Veronica's forehead back so that she could tie a satin ribbon of the same colour on her head.

"I, I think she's right," Veronica said, examining herself in the mirror with uncertainty. "I'm looking awkward, I think I should go change, I'll wear dress-" 

"You're not going anywhere!" Sienna said loudly, grasping Veronica's arm. "You're looking beautiful and that is what exactly a Maid of Honour _should_ look! Now stay here and help me get her ready!"

"Me?" Jenny said. "You are going to get me ready?"

 "Yes, now change!"

"Infront of you?!"

"We are shutting our eyes! Now change behind our backs!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Ronnie!" Roma called, applying make up to Rita. "Jenny! Sienna! Come down now!"

"They are still not ready?!" Eminem's voice sailed from her room.

"No," Roma said, shifting to Uma. "I don't know what are they doing-here they are, about time, you three! Do you know we are already-"

But she did not complete her sentence. "Oh my lord!" Shaina, who was sitting on the table, examining herself in a small palm mirror said.

"Who did this?!" Rita asked.

"What happened?" Eminem's anxious voice came. Nobody answered. Then came Monica's voice-"No! Emmy, I was going to push that pin-"

Eminem, in her wedding dress, came hurrying out of her room, her face very anxious, and her veil half undone.

"What happened? Where's Ro-" And then she saw Veronica.

"Ronnie!" She screamed.


	20. Chapter 20

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****IN NO WAY**** WOULD VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD SECRET **

"Mum, don't shout; I'm not looking that bad!" Veronica said nervously.

"That bad!" Eminem said weakly. She opened her mouth, but no words came out and suddenly, she burst into tears and rushed forwards to hug her daughter.

"Oh Ronnie!" She said, hugging her and crying. "Ronnie, Ronnie, _Ronnie_!"

"Emmy," Monica said, her eyes filled with tears too. "don't cry, now, your make-up-"

"Mum, it's you who's getting married!" Veronica said, hugging her.

"Ronnie," Eminem said, taking her face in her hands and kissing her. "you are looking so beautiful, so beautiful, I-I-" she could not say more and started crying again.

"Mum!" Veronica said, bewildered.

 It took ten minutes to calm Eminem down, she cried so much that her eye make up was spoiled, Monica started grumbling but Eminem waved her wand once, and her face was clean again.

"You two are looking good, too." Roma said, smiling at Jenny and Sienna.

"Yeah, both of you too," Eminem said, smiling at Jenny.

"Your hair has been done very nicely," Monica said to Jenny. Jenny's long hair were tied up behind her back, using the ornate clip Veronica had gifted.

"Where was this gown?" Shaina said, eyeing Sienna's. "I didn't see this in the shop."

"It wasn't in the shop," Sienna said. "I bought it with me."

"Yours is the best," Eminem said to Jenny.

Jenny nervously looked at her dark blue gown in chiffon layering, (with a shoulder) its sleeves at her elbows' end.

"Emmy! It's already eight-thirty! We have to be there in two hours!" Roma said, looking at her watch.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Everyone was to be escorted to the church (that was an hour far) in the car by Mr. Skitt. He arrived just as they had finished re-checking the rings, flowers and make-up. Veronica, was obviously the Maid of Honour (Horror), the other girls were the flower girls. Actually, the Skitt sisters were asked to be the flower girls, but when Jenny and Sienna arrived, they also joined in. Clarke of course, was 'Worst Man' according to Veronica. Till the ride to the church, Veronica and Eminem kept mum, neither of the two showing any signs of life. When they arrived at the church, Eminem started smiling her beautiful smile, and Veronica's face acquired a dignified expression of forced calm.

When the door of the church opened, Jenny noticed two things, 1) The muggles used to play this strange music on which they, the flower girls, were supposed to move in rhythm to, and throw flowers in the air, and 2), she was going too fast.

Ben was standing in the end of the aisle, in golden tuxedo, smiling at his bride. Clarke was standing next to him, in a silver tuxedo, smiling at Shaina, who was walking beside Jenny in a red gown.  

                                             The wedding was conducted by an Italian priest, he was very handsome, possibly a relative of Ben. The wedding guests included mostly English people with few Italians. Sienna was getting many appreciative glances from a gaggle of young ladies, sitting among the Italians. The priest thought that maybe Sienna was the maid of honour and asked her to give the ring to the bride.

After the priest said, "You may now kiss the bride," Sienna nudged Jenny to start showering flowers on the new couple, Veronica looked like she was trying hard not to scowl, her eyes had the expression Jenny had seen in David's eyes when he had found Regulus Black lying on top of her in a deserted shortcut.

The bride and the groom left in a Rolls Royce car which Jenny found even odder than Roma's blue ford, but which got appreciative 'Ooooh's from the invited people. As the couple rode away, Eminem threw the bouquet in her hand in the air, it landed between a fifty year old English man and an Italian woman. The woman looked nervously at the man, as if expecting him to reprimand her if she picked it. The man smiled, and picking it up gave it to her.

"Okay, now get in the car." Mr. Skitt said to them. Jenny scrambled into the black coloured car in which he had escorted them.

"We have to be there hotel to welcome the bride and groom," Mr. Skitt said, backing the car. "so we have to rush."

And that they did. Mr. Skitt was not just good flier, but also a good driver, atleast that's what Jenny perceived by the way he drove the car expertly, swiftly speeding the car through the London traffic, Jenny believed that he was doing a really good job when suddenly, the car jumped to the head of an unmoving queue for the traffic lights.

"This car is magic too?!" she exclaimed.

Roma, Clarke, Uma, Rita, Veronica, and Sienna looked at her from her left.

"Apart from the seats," Jenny added.

"Had to take all the precautions," Mr. Skitt said. "this is Emmy's special day!"

"What will happen after the reception party?" Shaina asked from the front.

"Nothing, dear." Monica said who was sitting next to her on the front seat. "The couple and their family will drive away to the new home,"

"Where _is_ the new home?" Veronica asked irritably.

"Somewhere not far off from the hotel," Mr. Skitt said. "I…..don't remember the place….yes, Bell Apartments!"

"_Bell_Apartments?" Veronica repeated, then looked at Clarke contemptuously. "I wonder if we'll have a cow in _bell_ apartments."

Mr. Skitt said-"Change your attitude, Veronica." reprovingly.

Shaina turned and scowled at her, but Clarke, for the first time infront of Jenny, answered back.

"Why do we have you there for, _Ronnie_?"

Veronica did not speak again.

……………………………………………………………………………………...

The reception party was going well. Jenny was standing in a corner of the big room, which somehow looked like a ball room, sipping lemon tea, the only beverage in all of the muggle drinks served to them she found drinkable. Mr. and Mrs. D'Medisi were dancing in the middle of the room, surrounded by other dancing couples, one of them including the Italian girl and the English man. Orchestra was (this time by the humans) playing jazz again. Jenny cast a surly look over the couple of Italian boys of around her age, sitting a little distance away from her, whispering to each other in Italian.

Sienna, her face tired, in her hand a cup of coffee, came and sat down at the table infront of her.

"Have you seen Shaina?" She asked Jenny as she joined her at the table.

"No," Jenny said. "why?"

"Mrs. Skitt has just noticed Clarke is missing," Sienna said, looking at the pair of boys skulking at the next table, staring pointedly at her.

"Oh," Jenny said, suddenly wishing she could sleep.

Just then Veronica arrived, looking very bad tempered. Sienna and Jenny watched silently as she dragged a chair unhesitatingly from the table with the boys, and sat down with them. Then Sienna spoke, pointing at the glass in Veronica's hand.

"This is whisky, Veronica."

"I know that," Veronica said, taking a sip from it.

"Who gave it to you? This is served only to the elders," Sienna asked,

Veronica did not answer.

"It's evening," she said, after some time. "when is all this drama going to _end_?"

"Veronica," Jenny began, but Sienna overrode her.

"No use, Jenny." She said, draining her cup of coffee. "She won't understand. Whatever you say, she just won't understand!"

"I don't understand?" Veronica repeated, her eyes narrowed. "I don't understand? Do you know what I'm going throu-"

"Eccskuse me?"

A boy from the next table had interrupted her.

"Vill u dance vid me?" he asked Sienna. Sienna looked taken aback for a moment, a look of surprise on her tired face, but she got up.

"Sure," she said.

As the boy and Sienna merged in the crowd of the dancers, Veronica gulped down the rest of the wine in her glass. Slamming it down, she got up, her expression very bad tempered and left, without a word to Jenny.

Jenny watched her cross the ball room. Sienna noticed Veronica, and motioned Jenny to follow her as Veronica exited the ball room. In all this, Jenny did not notice the other Italian boy who followed Veronica out of the room.

Jenny kept the glass of lemon tea down and got up. Mr. & Mrs. D'Medisi were eating cake by the hands of Roma; several Italians surrounded them, gifts in their hands.

Jenny exited the ball room and looked around. Outside the door of the lobby entrance, she could see several cars parked in the yellow light from the street light. The receptionist smiled at her and asked- "Enjoying the party?"

"I don't speak Italian," Jenny replied briefly, and left the lobby. Outside, it was warm, the kind of warm you expected on a July evening. Picking up her gown, she descended from the stairs, keeping her mother's words in mind to not make her gown dirty when she had come. Her parents had been there for hardly twenty minutes, just making it to the wedding before the groom kissed the bride. To Jenny's astonishment, her mother had complimented Veronica on her choice of apparel.

It was quite outside, Jenny saw the silhouette of two heads at the far end of the parking on her left, and she turned right. Where's Veronica? Jenny stopped and looked around, turning back, she took another look; the silhouette of the two heads had vanished. What if Veronica had not come outside at all? Maybe she had left the ball room and went up in the hotel in those…those, lifts. Maybe she-

"Take this!"

Jenny turned, recognising Veronica's voice. Where was it coming from? Jenny ran in the direction of the sound coming from the left side of the car parking. It was coming from the middle of it, so the car was not in the end; it was surrounded by other cars.

"Take this, you son of a bludger!" Came Veronica's yell.

"Veronica!" Jenny shouted, hoping she would call back and thus lead to her. "Veronica! Where are you?!"

"THIS-for following me!" Veronica's yell sounded, more loudly now, "And-THIS-for..."

"Veronica!" Jenny shouted, panicking. What was she doing?

And then, Jenny heard a boy's voice.

"Me zorry!" The accent looked Italian. Jenny's panick heightened.

"Who's there?" She called, tripping on her gown, "Who's there-Clarke!"

 Clarke, running from the far end of the parking, came into focus. Behind her, Jenny could see Shaina. Suddenly, Jenny knew whose silhouette she had seen earlier.

"Clarke!" Jenny shouted. "I think it's Veronica!"

"Andre!" Clarke called and disappeared behind a blue Mercedes. Jenny followed him, trying not to trip on her gown again.

The scene that encountered Jenny was something she had not expected to see. Although that's what it sounded like from the voices, but Jenny had not expected this.

Veronica, in her shoulder-less gown, was sitting on the chest of an Italian boy, whom Jenny recognised as the boy she had seen earlier, and punching him on the face.

"Veronica!" Jenny yelled and darted forward, but Clarke had already done so. He seized her by the arms, and she tried to hit back to the person who was trying to drag her away, but Clarke was larger than her and taller too. As soon as Veronica realized it was Clarke, she started shouting again, stamping her feet on the ground, trying to hit him with her elbow.

The boy lying on the ground, Jenny noticed was smaller than Veronica. But when she had been dragged away from top of him, he regained his strength.

"Rovinare!" (B#) he called after her, touching his jaw, where she had punched him.

"You son of a b#!" Veronica called back. "Leave me! I want to kill him! Leave me, you chimp!" she shouted, hitting Clarke on the legs with her hands.

"Go, Andre!" Clarke said to the Italian boy. "I'm sorry from my sister's behalf, very sorr-"

"I am not your sister!" Veronica shouted at him. "And let, me, GO!" As soon as they came out in the clearing, Clarke dropped Veronica on the ground.

"What is the matter with you?!" He shouted at her. "Why the hell did you beat him up?"

Veronica panted, but did not answer.

"He is your guest!" Clarke yelled further. "Why did you beat him? Why? Tell me, Veronica!"

Veronica glared at him in the pale yellow light, then she opened her mouth and breathed. "I beat him up," She said, her voice suddenly low. "because he was following me."

This suddenly deflated Clarke, who for the first time infront of Jenny was being angry at Veronica.

"Followed you?" He repeated. "Did-did he try to do something?" He asked, in a sudden concerned voice.

"None of your business," Veronica said and got up, brushing her hands together. Clarke looked at Jenny, she immediately started, but Shaina did first.

"Ronnie, he's elder than you, and he's concerned, just tell him, okay-"

"Now that you've mentioned it," Veronica said loudly, interrupting Shaina. "your mother has noticed this chimp is not in sight," She said, throwing a disgusted look at Clarke. "and this made her very _concerned_ about you." Shaina turned wine red and shut up immediately.

"Veronica," Clarke said shortly, in his previous tone. "Tell me what made you beat him, okay, don't divert the topic."

"Fine!" Veronica snapped. "He followed me out here, asking me to dance with him! I said no, but he still continued to follow me and kept asking me, I grew irritated and punched him in the face when he tied to grab me!"

"He tried to grab you!" Clarke repeated in a shocked face.

"Yes, he did." Veronica said, looking at Jenny very strangely. "And now if you all don't mind, I'm going inside!"

And she turned and walked towards the reception hotel, but only after a few steps, fell down.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Getting Veronica back on her foot was some 'heavy' task. It seemed like she had drunk too much wine for the first time and had passed out because of its effect. Jenny and Clarke half supported, half carried her till the entrance door, where Jenny said she could not support Veronica further so Clarke picked up Veronica in his arms, and carried her inside, where he unfortunately ran into the bride and groom themselves. The bride emitted a loud shriek and darted forwards; ignoring the custom they were going through. So Veronica left the hotel in the Rolls Royce, sitting between the bride and the groom, her head in the bride's lap, and feet in the groom's.

The new house was very good, according to Jenny. It was around the same size as Veronica's previous house, but this one was more stylish, and well planned. Sienna called it similar to the houses of the 'Renaissance' era, which Jenny did not understand but Ben did, and he clapped her on the back, saying she had an architect spirit inside her, and led her to the stairs, to show her his 'lovely frieze band windows'. The living room had a large wall decorated with only masks. All the masks were of wood and on first look; Jenny thought they were all the same. Then she saw that they were all the same except some differences in eyes, nose or jewellery. Ben told them that they were all Christmas gifts from a friend living in Africa.

But Veronica's opinion on the house completely differed from Jenny's when she got up. She called the house old-fashioned, and 'too used'. Neither Jenny, nor Sienna asked what she meant by 'too used'. Her room was declared smaller than Clarke's room, (or any other room, for that matter) and to the hideous looking masks, she called them the true faces of Ben and Clarke. Maybe because she had just been told that she had passed out in the hotel parking and was then carried in by Clarke. Then at lunch, she 'accidentally' spilled hot tomato soup on Alex, Clarke's pet chimpanzee. The chimpanzee, however, was not a wimp, and poured chilli sauce on her 'accidentally', too. This meant more drama from Veronica and she left the dining table without having lunch, ran up the stairs to her room, and slammed the door shut, emerging only in the evening when Mr. Skitt came, and called her to take her out with the other kids to have ice-cream.

Eminem, the newly married bride was having a really tough time. First off, she was newly married, and there were many times when Jenny, Sienna, and Veronica returned from an evening stroll, and walked in on them, kissing on the sofa. Veronica's face used to become stony at such occasions. Clarke however was easily being the best one, waking his parents up with coffee, helping his father to clean his car, and giving Eminem and the girls a helping hand in setting the house, shifting their stuff from Nouvelle Lune…

It was Sunday, exactly one week after the wedding, and Jenny was reading a muggle comic book about a man called Superman which Clarke had given to her to read. Sienna and Clarke were talking about a 'bond' film, with an even weirder title-'The Man with the Golden Gun'. Eminem was lying with them on her pet sofa, which she had shifted from her own house to here, in the living room of her new home. She was wearing an old and quite worned evening dress, her face was tired, and she was staring at the ceiling, in a stupor of tiredness, thinking of nothing. Veronica came and stared around, looking at everyone's feet.

"Has anyone seen my bathroom slippers?" she asked. Jenny, too absorbed in trying to understand about Superman's home planet Krypton, shook her head. Eminem did not even notice Veronica, and Siena and Clarke answered in a 'no'.

The bell rang, and Veronica went to answer it. When she returned, she was not alone.

"Good evening, people!" Ben boomed, smiling at everyone. Jenny shook her head again.

"What are you wearing?" he asked, sitting on the couch beside Eminem. "This is so old! I can easily tear it with my fingers, see." He took one corner of it in his hands and tore it easily. The tearing noise snapped Jenny's attention; she glanced at both of them, as Eminem laughed and pointed her wand at her dress. "_Alo,_" she said, the tear in her dress mended immediately.

"I have booked the hotel," Ben continued, opening the briefcase he had in his hands. "it's for this Sunday, we'll be reaching there by Sunday morning-"

"Robby said the other day that you said we'll be doing some late night travelling?"

"We'll be travelling all night, yes," Ben said, loosening his tie. "that will be the best, there'll be no traffic on the roads-"    

 "We have three girls with us, Ben," Eminem said. "and the roads aren't safe anymore-" 

"Mum," Veronica said, entering the living room, still barefoot. "Accio my slippers for me, please," she added at the look Jenny and Sienna gave her.

"Search for it yourself," Eminem said. "I cannot do everything for you every time, you have to learn to behave like a muggle till the day you are allowed to perform magic outside the school-"

"I just asked you to help me find my slippers," Veronica interrupted. "atleast just tell me if you've seen it somewhere."

Eminem stared at her daughter, wondering when she'll become responsible for her thing. "Check in our bedroom," She said, meaning her Ben's bedroom. "it might be there."

As Veronica left, Ben turned to her. "You finished  setting up your almirah?" he asked.  

 "No," she said, yawning. "I did, but some papers are still lying there, there's too much to sort out, old letters, invitations, and other papers…."

"I'll go change," Ben said, getting up, his briefcase in his hands. "then maybe we can go watch this new Bond movie-"

"The Man with the Golden gun?" Clarke asked excitedly.

"Yeah, that," Ben said, walking backwards. "it's up in Crystal I think, we can go there, then we can go to Martin's, they have just introduced this mew Indian menu, I want to try it ou-sorry, Ronnie," he said, to Veronica, who had just bumped into him, walking in the living room.

But Veronica did not answer. Nor did she make any face. Eminem, who was watching her husband walk backwards lazily, sat up straight, as if she has just received an electric shock.

Jenny's attention went to Eminem's pale face, she followed her eyes and saw Veronica standing infront of her mother with an equally pale face, some paled papers in her hand.

"Ronnie," Eminem whispered. Jenny looked at Sienna thinking she might be knowing something that she might've missed. But Sienna was also looking at Veronica confusedly, and so was Clarke.

"What…..is,………this?" Veronica asked finally in choky voice, after staring at the paper for more than a minute.

"This, this……is nothing, sweetie," Eminem said, Jenny noticed a sudden panick in her voice.

"This is……….nothing?" Veronica asked, her voice shaking.

Eminem did not say anything.

"This is everything," Veronica said, her eyes filling with tears. "Everything……that you did not tell me about…"

"This is false," Eminem said urgently. "this is all a lie-"   

 "**_You _**are telling me a lie!" Veronica roared, the tears falling in big, fat drops on her now red face. "You! You have told this lie all my life!"

 Eminem stood up, her face scared. "Ronnie," she started, but Veronica shouted.

"Don't call me Ronnie!"

Just then, Ben entered, and sat down beside Eminem, who was standing. "What's happened, Emmy?" he asked, his eyes then darting to Veronica and then to Clarke, who shrugged. Then his eyes found Veronica again.

"What do you have in your hand?" He asked her.

Veronica did not answer him. She continued to stare at her mother an accusing stare.

Ben turned to Eminem. "What happened, Emmy?"

"You did not tell him?" Veronica asked, the contempt in her voice distinguishable.

"Tell what?" Ben exclaimed, realising he was really missing something important now. 'Tell what, Emmy? What is she talking about?"

"I'm talking about **THIS**!" Veronica shouted, and threw the papers in her hand on the table infront of him.

Jenny leaned forwards and these words met her eyes-

_They had named the child Veronica, so please let her remain Veronica. We have conducted their funeral; the grave is in Wader graveyard. My mother is not in a fit state to rear this girl, so I am requesting you to come and take your niece with you. I heard of your father's death, I'm sorry-_

The rest of the letter was under a pale, laminated, sheet, reading-

_Name of the baby: Veronica Mathew      born on: __12/06/1963_

_Weigh: 6.14 ounces                                    Blood group: A+_

_Father : Thomas Mathew_

_Mother: Emma Mathew                             Discharged: __13/06/1963_


	21. Chapter 21

NO PART OF THIS 'BORROWED PLOT' MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED IN ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE_ Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****IN NO WAY**** WOULD VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………………

**IN THE CORNER**

Jenny read it again. And again. Then she looked at Clarke, who had also leaned forward to see what was written in the paper. He was staring at the paper transfixed, as if trying to recognise the words. Sienna was staring at Ben, who was staring at Eminem. Eminem was staring at Veronica, her eyes filled with tears too, lost for words. Nobody said anything.  For a moment, Jenny prayed that may all this be a stupid nightmare, but it wasn't.

"S-s…so," Veronica said, her voice shaking.

Eminem bowed her head, her eyes swelling with tears.

"So," Veronica repeated. Jenny glanced at Sienna.

"So!" Veronica repeated again, the anger in her voice budding.

"My….my life has been a lie!" She said, her voice getting louder. Eminem looked up, the tears on her eyelashes. "My whole life has been a lie!" The vase on the table infront of Veronica started trembling slightly.

"A lie!" The vase trembled more. Clarke glanced at it, then at Veronica, then at Jenny, alarmed.

Veronica opened her mouth, but no voice came out. She closed it again, her throat constricted. The trembling of the vase increased. Few moments passed in silence, the trembling of the vase increasing with each second.

"Ronnie," Eminem whispered.

"**DON'T CALL ME RONNIE!" **Veronica shouted. With her shout, the vase exploded. Clarke and Ben yelled and covered their faces, as shards of glass flew around.

"Listen to me!" Eminem stood up, her voice urgent.

"**WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN? ANOTHER LIE?"** Veronica shouted. Behind Eminem, another vase exploded. Sienna lunged out of the way to avoid the glass shards.

"LET ME SPEAK!" Eminem shouted, sending the piece of glass that was going in Ben's direction away with her wand. "LISTEN TO ME, RONNIE! AND STOP THIS!" she added, as the crystal figurine beside Jenny cracked and fell on the floor.

"**WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN? A MADE UP EXCUSE? AM I EVEN RELATED TO YOU?!**"

"YOUR MOTHER WAS MY ELDER SISTER!" Eminem shouted, ducking, as the bulb over her head burst. "SHE DIED AND I BROUGHT YOU HOME!"

This quietened Veronica. She gazed at Eminem for a long moment.

"How come she died?" Veronica asked, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"She died in a car accident!" Eminem said, looking a little relieved that Veronica had stopped shouting. "She and her husband-a muggle-, Tom, both died in the car accident. You were with them too," She added, as Veronica opened her mouth. "But you survived,"

"And how can I believe this?" Veronica asked, her eyes still leaking tears.

"I'm not lying," Eminem said, her eyes filling with tears too. "as much as I want to, but I'm not. The evidence of that is the scar of cut on your back." She added, as Veronica opened her mouth again.

"Why did you lie to me all these years?" Veronica asked, after a few moments' silence.

"I….I thought…..you were…….you would………" Eminem whispered, trying to take out the words from her mouth. Then she sighed.

"It was Emma, who ran away with a Scottish villager," She said, her head bowed. "She married him against our father's wish, so he decided to outcast her, and we pretended that she had never existed. We heard that she had even given up magic for him, and this severed the feelings even more. Our father was hurt, and he was old. By the time I came back home from Hogwarts, after giving my NEWTs, he was dead. We buried him, and within fifteen days of his death, this letter arrived." She pointed at the pale letter under the pale laminated sheet. "Father was gone, me and mama were all alone, and even if we did what father had told us to do, we loved Emma. So you were brought home, and all at eighteen, I became your mother." She paused, looking at Veronica through her misty eyes. "Then, before you were three, mama died, and we moved to a muggle neighbourhood. I did it because; there was a good likeliness that you may be a….. squib. But you weren't, and I thanked god, that except the face, you got your mother's magic too." Jenny suddenly remembered Eminem crying when she had seen Veronica in her gown.

"You've still not answered my question." Veronica said, though rather quietly. "Why did you not tell me this?"    

"I thought………I just did not…..I didn't wanted to." Eminem confessed, tears dropping from her eyes to her cheeks. "I didn't wanted to break your heart,"

"Like you haven't done now," Veronica said. Eminem buried her head in her hands and started sobbing. Veronica turned slowly, and left the room. Moments later, they heard the main door slam.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

 "Okay, Jenny," Aunt Tia said. "I know you haven't done side-along Apparation before, but it's really easy, all you have to do is hold my arm tightly, okay, and I mean really tightly-"

"I've heard it's painful," Jenny interrupted.

"Only if you get splinched," Aunt Tia said, then added hastily, "but it won't happen to you, you've got me and I-"

"Passed the Appartion test in school," Mr. Jones interjected. " and that means she got the certificate _before_ her NEWT mark sheet and that is a family record. Your mother had to give the test twice, your grandfather preferred broomsticks and floo, your grandmother never learned it, and me," he paused. "I passed the test the sixth time-"

"-After failing miserably for the first five times," Aunt Tia added.

Mr. Jones glared at his sister before turning to Jenny.

"Anyways, don't worry, it'll be allright, okay," He said, placing some of the scrambled eggs in his mouth. "just be home before noon," He called, heading for the out room, "and that means LEAVE EARLY, TIA!" He called before Apparating with a loud crack.

"Where's uncle Willy?" Jenny asked, flopping down on the sofa.

"How would I know?" Aunt Tia asked sharply.

"He'd said he'd meet me over there," Jenny said, trying to pretend she did not notice the sharpness in her voice.

"That still doesn't change the situation," Aunt Tia said, picking up the paper and opening the front page. "how would I know?"

Jenny did not answer. She drank from her glass of milk, thinking about Veronica. Who'd've thought the summer holidays will go like this? Jenny did not know where Veronica, Eminem, Ben, and Clarke would be, maybe in France, maybe in Italy, Ben's home place, but there was a strong likeliness that they wouldn't be on vacation.

Jenny hadn't known what to say when she left Veronica's home. Eminem, on the night before they had left, had requested them not to tell anyone whatever had happened, and Jenny had not. Eminem's mother had lied to Mr. Jones when he had come to fetch Jenny. It has been over four days now that she's at home, and Jenny had not received a single letter from Sienna. Neither did she write to her. And as to Veronica, there were just no words that she could say or write to her, it was all very awkward. After that evening incident, Veronica had avoided the other people living in the house, taki9ng long walks till the fields surrounding their colony, often missing meals. She had snubbed Eminem's all attempts to make her pardon her, and the atmosphere in the house was tense, with Eminem crying most of the time she was awake, (and maybe in her bedroom too) Ben trying to calm her down, Clarke trying to follow Veronica to comfort her, or else to try to make her see the brighter side (which, according to Jenny, was not a very good idea) of the situation…………

"Oh Merlin!" Aunt Tia exclaimed, staring at the paper.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, lunging for the paper, fearing it had some terrible news about Veronica.

"I can not bel-Hey! Easy, Jenny!" Aunt Tia said, pushing the newspaper out of her reach.

"What is it?" Jenny asked, in her mind, her thoughts racing about how much  rash things Veronica could do.

"It's about your teacher," Aunt Tia said, reading the paper again.

"Te-teacher?" Jenny repeated, bewildered.

"Selena Fraser," Aunt Tai read. "She used to teach DADA at Hogwarts,"

"Used to?" Jenny repeated. "What do you mean, used to?"

"Well," Aunt Tai said. "the Prophet says her daughter has gone missing."

"Missing?" Jenny said. "But she was going to get married!"

Aunt Tia shifted her gaze to Jenny. "How'd you know that?"

"Professor Fraser told me once," Jenny answered. "But what happened?"

"Melanie Fraser, who had just married her childhood friend Benjamin Drampton, has gone missing. Her mother and former _Daily Prophet_ editor, Selena Fraser who now teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry has reportedly filed a complaint at the Auror Office for her daughter, who has been missing since last Sunday." Aunt Tia read. "Selena has resigned from the post of DADA teacher from Hogwarts. Read the full story on page 6."

"I knew her," She said, staring at the photo of Melanie printed in the paper.

"She was your friend?" Jenny asked, opening her hair.

"No, just this brilliant girl you know as your senior," She answered. "and she was really brilliant in my time at Hogwarts, Prefect, then Head Girl, and then she got selected for St. Mungo's in her first try-"

"In her first try!" Jenny repeated, turning to see Melanie Fraser's photograph clearly. "She must be brilliant!"

"Yeah, she was," Aunt Tia said, then her eyes landed on the clock infront of her.

"Oh Merlin Jenny! We're late! Get ready!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Samantha?"

Jenny turned, it was David.

"David!" she exclaimed, dropping the book in her hand in her nervousness. He stooped, and picked it up. He glanced at it briefly, trying to appear casual, or at ease, but then his eyes met Jenny's and he froze.

Jenny was in the far corner of the book shop _Papyrus_, reading from the back cover of a muggle book she had seen, in her other arm a good bunch of three books that were listed for her third year at Hogwarts. This bookstore was big and quite, Aunt Tia was at the Collins' Apothecaries to buy her potions supplies, and this meant that Jenny was in a secluded corner of the shop, with David.

David had the strangest expression right now. He had been giving her strange expressions all the time last year and Jenny had kind of gotten used to the dazed, admiring look he used to give her, but this was scary. His eyes were definitely not admiring her, they were boring into hers. Normally, she couldn't've been able to maintain the gaze from her side, but now she also gazed back, just because her eyes were locked with fear. One part of her was praying silently to Merlin to send someone here, or to send Aunt Tia looking for her, or anyone, even Sirius Black, she would have gladly welcomed him now, anything or anyone to get away from this corner.

He stepped forward one foot. She stepped back two foot.

David was still staring at her, (she was staring back too,) but there was something in his eyes that she could not identify, it was not admiration, or that 'I'm-so-lucky-to-have-you' look he used to give her mostly. It was something very powerful, it was running in him at its peak as David stepped forward, blocking Jenny's way to escape and placed his hands at her shoulders. For a moment, (It seemed like a thousand years to Jenny!) he continued to stare at her, then he looked at her face, her hair, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, her neck, her shoulders, and then he looked up again, a determined look in his eyes as he opened his mouth-

"No," Jenny breathed.

"What?" He asked, confused.

She did not answer. She did not _know_ how to answer to this situation. She knew what he was going to say, and she also knew what he was going to do afterwards, and as soon as this realisation had hit her, her mouth had wrenched open on its own.

He stared at her for a long moment, and she looked down, nervous.

Then he sighed, and opened his mouth again.

"Samantha, I-"

"No!" she said, and placed the book in her hand at his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her. For a long moment, they continued to be in this way. Then, Jenny sighed and removed the book.

"I'm sorry, David," she said. "but no."

"No what?" he asked her.

Jenny sighed. "I know what you are going to say," she said, watching the look of astonishment in his eyes. "and that's why I said, no."

He looked hurt, and for a moment he did not speak. Then, "Do you even know what I was going to say to you?" He asked gently, thinking she might've misunderstood him.

She removed his arms from her shoulders gently, "Trust me, I have an idea what you were going to say," she said.

"And what is it?" He asked incredulously, still thinking she was wrong.

 Jenny sighed. This boy is so stupid; can't he read her face like she reads his?

"Samantha-" David started again, but Jenny overrode him.

"Listen, and just listen." She said when he opened his mouth again. "I know-and I'm not telling you what or how- but I know, what you were going to say, and, David, no."

"What do you mean, no?" He asked after a moment.

Jenny was thinking how to say her refusal in a way that would not hurt him.

"You are going to start your fifth year at Hogwarts, your OWL year," she said, her voice gaining determination at every word. "and OWLs are very important-" 

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

Jenny looked at him in the eye. "Everything happens at a certain age," she said, repeating the words her mother had once said to her. "and at a certain time, it's all written up there," she pointed at the white ceiling of the shop.

David looked up, then at her.

"What is this supposed to mean?" He asked slowly.

Jenny rolled her eyes. Boys are _so_ stupid.

"This means," She said, her voice steady. "that you should pay attention to your studies and to your studies _only_."

David looked back at her, completely taken aback.

"This is for your own good," She said. "just wait and prepare for your owls, and everything will fall into place."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" The lunch lady asked at the door.

Timothy looked around, and then shook his head at her. The door slided shut. His eyes travelled to Sienna's, and he smiled. She glanced at Veronica, who was sitting by the window next to him, and smiled back. Jenny was sitting in front of Veronica, staring sometimes at Veronica, sometimes outside, just to avoid David's eye. Charlotte was looking at David who was staring at Jenny as if she had refused to give him something she had promised. Torien's eyes were swivelling between her brother and Sienna to David and Veronica.

She turned to Charlotte, who was continually staring at David, and caught her eye. Torien quirked her eyebrows at her, Charlotte shrugged back.

"Who's the new teacher?" Sienna asked, noticing Torien staring at her.

"Some Zankman something," David replied, looking away from Jenny.

"Zankman?" Timothy repeated. "Is it Juno Zankman?"

"That's his sister," he said. "Juni, that's his name, Juni Zankman."

"Juno-Juni?" Torien said, chuckling. "Guess this new teacher is going to be funny,"

"Veronica?" Charlotte said. "Why are you so quiet?"

"Who says I'm quiet?" Veronica said immediately, turning her face from the window to them. "So, what is she going to teach, this new teacher, Juni?" She said, in an attempt to show she had been with them.

Sienna glanced at Jenny before correcting Veronica. "Mr. Juni Zankman is going to teach us the only subject there's vacancy for: DADA."

"What about Fraser?" Veronica asked, sitting straighter.

  "Well, she, resigned." Timothy said, looking at her strangely. "It was all in the papers,"

Veronica opened her mouth, and then closed it. Looking at Jenny in the eye, she again shifted her gaze to outside the window.

"I'm going to the loo," she said, getting up abruptly after a few minutes' silence.

As the door slided shut, Jenny sent Sienna a worried look, which did not go amiss from Torien's eyes.

"So," she said, looking at Jenny and Sienna. "What is up with her?"

"Who?" Jenny tried to play ignorant.

"Veronica," Timothy said, looking at her. "I've never seen her so quiet."

"Oh, there's nothing wrong-" Jenny said, trying to fake an excuse.

"Who said there's something wrong?" Torien asked catching her word.

"She's ill," Sienna said quickly. "She's not feeling well,"

"What kind of ill?" Torien asked inquiringly. Jenny and Sienna stared at her, and Timothy coughed.

"Shut up, Torien." Charlotte said.

A few minutes passed in silence. Torien stared at the floor, David at Jenny, Timothy at some distant point, and Sienna at Charlotte, who was looking at David and then Jenny.

Suddenly, Jenny realised that ten minutes had passed and Veronica had not returned up till now. She sent a worried glance to Sienna, Sienna glanced at her watch then quirked her eyebrows towards the door, signalling Jenny to go look for Veronica. Jenny got up immediately.

"I'm going to look for Lily," She said, saying the first thing that came to her mind.

"Why?" David asked immediately.

"I've heard she's become a prefect," Jenny said, answering him evasively. As expected, he did not ask another question as she slided the door shut.

There was a lot of noise outside, along with people. In the far end of the train at her left, Jenny could see a group of people standing infront of a door. She turned to her right, on her left was the compartment where the lunch lady used to sit; these people were just buying something off the trolley.

As she moved forwards, she could hear music, she peered as she passed the compartment from where the music was coming from, a boy, on his knees was trying to fine tune a radio with his, the other boys stared at her as she passed.

Few compartments ahead, some people were arguing loudly, turned out it was a Slytherin and a few Gryffindors as the door slided open and a Slytherin boy was pushed out.

Few steps ahead, a group of boys and girls were talking, causing a block. As Jenny passed through them, the door of a compartment slided open, and a boy stepped out. It was Regulus Black. He shut the door, and moved in the direction in which she was moving.

Suddenly, Jenny wished to just turn and head in the opposite direction, but before she could act on that impulse, Regulus turned his head to see who was behind him at the sound of her footsteps.

"Oh, Hello!" he said, giving her a full smile.

"Hello," She answered, wondering what happened to his pet way of greeting her.

"How were your holidays?" He asked.

"Fine, yours?" she asked politely.

 "Very good," he said, smiling brightly. "We just shifted to this new house of ours, and my cousins came and spent the holidays with us."

"Your cousins go to Hogwarts?" Jenny asked, thinking if she had ever seen anyone resembling him, except Sirius.

"They completed school years back," He said. "Infact, Bella is married now."

"Oh," Jenny said, peering in a compartment.

"By the way," Regulus said. "your friend,"

"What friend?" She asked immediately.

"The chaser one, that Andrews something…"

"Veronica!" She said loudly. "What happened to her?!"

"I don't' know," Regulus said, giving her a strange look. "infact, how would _I _know?"

"Then why did you take her name?" Jenny asked, completely bewildered.

 "I just wanted to conform she played chaser," Regulus said, his eyebrows raised. "What did you think?"

Jenny did not answer. She looked sideways at him, then said, "Where are you heading?"

"Here," he said, stopping infront of a compartment. "See you later."

Jenny caught sight of the people sitting inside. As her eyes travelled from the faces of Avery and Mulciber, she noticed Barty Crouch Jr. sitting beside Severus Snape. Her eyes widened, and just before the door slided shut completely, Snape turned around and looked straight at her.

Jenny could not make out why she was feeling shocked. After all, they are Slytherins, they sit together. But she was more shocked over the choice of people that Regulus Black had, she would've gladly spent the entire train ride with Sirius Black than those people. But why is she worrying about Regulus? Jenny shook her head; she's supposed to look for……

"Veronica," Jenny whispered to herself, reaching the end of the train. There was certainly no one in the toilets, the doors were open. She took a deep breath, and deciding to literally check all the compartments, moved forwards, and reached the first compartment on her left, and knocked.

No reply.

Knock, knock.

Yet no reply.

Jenny fitted her hand in the handle of the door, and slided the door open, noiselessly. And there she was, lying on the long seat on her back, dry tear stains on her pale cheek, shining in the light filtering from the window.


	22. Chapter 22

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****IN NO WAY**** WOULD VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**MOODY & STUBBORN**

When Veronica entered their compartment again, her arms were laden with pasties and Bertie Bott's bean packets.

"Well, I was feeling hungry," she said, putting all of it down.

"Where have you been?" Torien asked.

"Hey, Charlotte, do you want liquorice?" Veronica asked, ignoring Torien.

Sienna glanced at Jenny, and quickly looked away, for Torien was looking between them too, but she got the message Torien did not: later.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"The whole point of electricity is," Professor Marchbanks said. "is that it provides the muggles the basic requirements of life,"

Jenny was in her Muggle Studies class the next day, attentively listening to Professor Marchbanks, Sienna sitting next to her, glancing at her watch every two seconds, her right leg crossed over her left, her foot tapping fidgetyly.

"You mean food and water?" A Hufflepuff boy sitting infront of Jenny asked.

"In a way," Professor MarchBanks replied.

"The muggles use electricity to grow crops!" Jenny exclaimed.

Marchbanks shook his head. "Electricity doesn't help to grow crops," he said. "it's all natural, but electricity helps to provide the finished products of those crops?"

"How?" Jenny asked.

He bit his lip. Then, running his fingers through his hair, he said. "The muggles grow corn, the corn is then sent to get cleaned up, then it is sent to a factory to get it processed-"

"What does 'processed' mean?" Jenny interrupted him, putting up her hand. "And what is a faktory?"

The children sitting around her stared at her. Jenny got the message she was asking too many questions.

"Well, dear," Professor Marchbanks said, running his hand over his hair. "I'm way off from where I had started. Obviously, you people are not ready yet to understand all these muggle terms, but I want you to do one thing," he added, as the bell rang shrilly. "read the rest of the chapter for tomorrow. I expect all of you to brief me at how electricity is transported."

"What were you saying earlier?" Jenny asked, following Sienna outside the class.

"Not now," Sienna said, walking briskly.

'Why?" Jenny asked, jogging to keep up with her.

"I have to go!" She whispered, breaking into a run.

"Oh," Jenny said, slowing down immediately. She did not enter the bathroom after Sienna, just waited, holding her bag and wand for her.

Regulus passed her, giving her his regular half a smile with a nod. Jenny smiled back at him. Then suddenly she remembered something.

"Hey," she said, calling out to him. "What were you saying yesterday at the train?"

"About your friend?" He asked, stopping. "Well, nothing, I just wanted to confirm she plays chaser for Ravenclaw."

"That's it?" Jenny said. "But why?"

"I thought she played seeker," he said. "I'm going to try out for seeker for my house," he added, when Jenny opened her mouth. "I was just curious, to know who would be in my opposition, if I get selected, that is."

"When are the try outs?" Jenny asked, looking back to see if Sienna was out yet.

"Soon, I think. So, see you later." He said, and left.

Jenny turned back to see Sienna coming out of the toilet, clutching her stomach.

"What happened?" she asked her, handing her things back to her. Sienna looked at her in the eye, looking like as if she was deciding over something.

"Just stomach pain," she said.

"Oh," Jenny said, understanding her lie. "So what were you saying?" She asked her as they walked down to the great hall.

"I was asking you," Sienna said. "about Veronica's behaviour. How has she been?"

"Well, you saw how she was in Defence today," Jenny said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"And transfiguration, and Charms, and History of Magic," Sienna said. "You mean lost?"

"She was lost during those classes?" Jenny asked, entering the great hall to sit down. "I didn't notice."

"Of course you didn't," Sienna said, sitting down on Gryffindor table first, Jenny moved on, but retreated when she noticed. "or you'd've reprimanded her for doodling on the first day of classes in Transfiguration." 

"She was doodling?!" Jenny repeated in a shocked voice.

"Don't make a fuss out of it as usual, here she comes." Sienna said, waving her hand in the air to catch Veronica's attention, who was heading towards Ravenclaw table.

Veronica noticed Sienna's wave, and slowly made her way to where they were sitting. Keeping her bag down, she slid in the seat next to Jenny.

"How was your day?" Jenny asked, trying to give an impression that they were not discussing her before she came.

"Don't' remember much of it," Veronica said bluntly, wiping her head on her sleeve. Sienna glanced at Jenny before speaking.

"This new teacher, Professor Zankman looks fine, right?"

 "He's just one day old at Hogwarts," Jenny said, trying to put up a general conversation to involve Veronica. "we can not tell how he is, now."

"He babbles too much," Veronica said. "I remember him going on and on about something,"

"Oh, he was babbling," Jenny said immediately. "I mean, telling us about the various curses that are getting popular now a days,"

"Popular curses," Veronica repeated, holding her chin, cupped, in her palms.

"The unforgivables, and a few others," Jenny said. "You know, mostly used by You-Know-Who and his-"

"Deatheaters," Veronica completed, closing her eyes. Then Sienna opened her mouth.

"What are Deatheaters?" She asked. Before Jenny could speak, Veronica did.

"Deatheaters are those nutters," she said, not trying to keep her voice down or to whisper, like Jenny had done, when she spoke 'You-Know-Who'. "who follow You Know Who."

"Since when did You Know Who come?" Sienna asked, as if he was someone she had never noticed in her classes.

"I don't know," Jenny said, feeling angry. "but my mother has been working on most Christmas holidays because of him for the last ten years."

Sienna looked at her strangely. Then she turned to Veronica, but she had buried her head in her arms.

"Veronica?"

Jenny looked up to see Anthony tapping Veronica on her shoulder.

"What now?" Veronica said, sitting up.

"Practise," Anthony replied, not minding her cursing tone. "Did you practise over the summer?"

"No I didn't," She said bluntly. "Now what? You'll throw me off the team? Fine, do it." She said, burying her head in her arms again.

Anthony stared at her head. Then he stared at Jenny, who looked mortified.

"Um, Veronica?" He said, after a few moments.

"You're still here?" Veronica said, sitting straight again. "Now what do you have to say?"

"I just have to say, that, practise starts from this Saturday, and, I expect you in the quidditch field by six-thirty in the morning, and," He said. "that's all."

He looked at her expectantly, thinking she would speak something, but she just buried her head in her arms. Anthony glanced at Jenny before moving on to Ravenclaw table.

"Veronica," Jenny said decidedly, ignoring Sienna's head-shaking.

"What?" she said, without sitting up.

"Listen to me, Veronica."

"What were you expecting from me?" Veronica said, rubbing her fist over her left eye. "The same behaviour?"

Jenny stopped in the middle of what she was about to say. Sienna pursed her lips, not approving of the situation.

"I-"

"Don't speak, okay." Veronica said, getting up. "No use speaking to me, I won't understand, right, Sienna?" She said, repeating Sienna's words. Sienna did not answer, but her mouth became thinner.

"Veronica," Jenny started again. But Veronica overrode her once again.

"I have to go," She said. Then picking up her bag, left the great hall, bumping into Timothy, who had just entered the great hall with David.

"She was angry, right?" Tim asked, sitting down infront of Jenny, rubbing his left shoulder. Neither Sienna, nor Jenny answered him.

"So how was your day?" He asked, as David sat down beside him, his eyes on Jenny.

"Fine," Jenny replied, sensing David was still staring at her in an accusatory way. "I have to go do my homework," she added, getting up.

"This is the first day of school, Samantha!" Timothy called after her. "I mean this is _the first-_Sienna! Where are you going?" He added, as Sienna ran after Jenny. "Hey-Sienna! Samantha! Don't go!" He called after their backs.

"I'll see you in the common room!" Sienna called behind her back and rushed after Jenny.

"Okay," She said. "You tell me yourself, what happened between you and David?"

Jenny was surprised at her excellent observation. But she was not going to tell her, it was all too embarrassing.

"I am going to the library," she said in its answer.

"Jenny!" Sienna said, stopping to let a tall and hefty Slytherin pass. "Tell me what happened?"

"This is the first day of the first term of school!" Jenny snapped, taking the marble stairs one at a time. "What _can_ happen?"

"It didn't happen in school," Sienna said. "whatever happened happened outside school."

Jenny was surprised again.

"Come on tell me," Sienna said. "I'm your best friend! Okay, one of your best friends!" she added, when Jenny looked at her.

When Jenny did not say anything, but just climbed on silently to the library, Sienna opened her mouth again.

"Fine, don't tell me," She snapped. "I'll just have to wait for Tim to come and say-'Did you know……"

"Has he done that before?" Jenny asked immediately.

"Yes," Sienna said satisfiedly, now that her trick was doing its job. "and he will do it again, when David finally confesses to him about what happened…."

"Why will he confess to Tim?" Jenny asked, sounding sceptic.

"They're neighbours since Tim was one!" Sienna said. "And that means they are almost brothers!"

"Okay, okay, I got it!" Jenny said, pushing open the door of the library.

"So are you going to tell me what the story is?" Sienna asked, following Jenny to the tables kept at the back, infront of shelves labelled _"Arithmancy"_. 

Jenny looked at Sienna, who was glaring at her. Then she sighed. "Okay, fine." She said, drawing a chair. "I'll tell you,"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Now, in this potion," Slughorn boomed, running his hand over to his receding hairline. "you don't have to put powdered Fireball eggs, but this puss like solution, which you have all got with you-" Slughorn picked up vial from Querill's desk.

"The Crabeen soup?" Jenny interrupted, putting up a vial, similar to what Slughorn was holding.

 "Exactly, Samantha!" Slughorn agreed. "Now, can anyone tell me why is it called a soup?"

"Because it tastes like one?" Some one said from the back. Everyone laughed.

"No," Slughorn said, laughing with the class. "not because it tastes like a soup, yes Samantha?" he added, as she put up her hand again.

"Because, it is put in most of those delicacy soups, which have some poison as one of their ingredients to-"

"Are you joking?" the Gryffindor boy sitting on her right said loudly. "Which soups have some _poison _as an ingredient?"

"No, no," Slughorn said. "She's right, some of the delicacies do have poison as an ingredient-"

 "Why would anyone do that?" Torien asked unbelievingly.

"Because it increases the taste of the soup," Jenny said to her. "and the person's adrenaline level."

Slughorn opened his mouth, but the bell sounded before him.

"Submit an essay describing the use of powdered fireball eggs in making Crabeen by Saturday!" he said, as the class filed out.

As Jenny scribbled the homework in her diary, Sienna stuffed her things in her bag quickly and took her hand in hers.

'Hey, wait-what are you doing?" Jenny asked, stuffing her diary in her bag.

"Walk fast!" Sienna snapped at her, Jenny's hand still in hers.

"Sienna," Jenny said, trying to swing her bag over shoulder. "I can not swing my bag, leave my hand-what happened?" she added, as Sienna started running. 

Sienna, in answer, left her hand and shouted-

"Veronica!"

Now that Jenny focussed, she saw Veronica lying sprawled on the ground, Anthony stooping over her, saying her name.

"Veronica!" she exclaimed, and overtook Sienna in reaching her.

"What happened?" She asked, halting to a stop beside Anthony.

"Well, she was not looking," He said, in his hand a broomstick. "and I wasn't too-"

"Wasn't too what?" Sienna asked, making her way through the people starting to surround them.

"Not looking." He answered, looking uncomfortable. "And I had my back to her, and my arms were open, and I turned, and-"

"You hit her?" Sienna asked, getting up from stooping over Veronica. He nodded sheepishly, and muttered a small "sorry," to which Jenny snapped-"You're such a jerk! You can't even walk around properly! And you're quidditch captain?"

"Maybe that's why," Sienna said, and stooped down, over Veronica, calling her name.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Okay, now listen!" Veronica hissed. "No, Jenny, just _listen_!"

They were in the library; following Veronica who was ignoring them as if they had given her that black swelling that she was now sporting at her head.

Veronica had recovered from the accident she had had with Anthony, infact she had taken it sportingly, accepting his apology with 'It's allright,' which highly surprised Jenny and Sienna, they were expecting some loud words and specially 'what do you think?' that she had been saying to them a lot lately.

"What do you think?" She said grinding her teeth as Madam Pince walked past them heading to the door of the forbidden section, staring at them an accusatory stare. "Following me around like that, it's going to work?" She said.

"Listen, Veronica-" Sienna started, but Veronica overrode her again. "I said just listen!" She snapped, silencing her. "You two stop following me around-"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jenny interrupted her. "But we can not do that."

"What is the matter with you two?!" Veronica's voice finally surpassed a hiss. "it's my wish how I want to spend my time, and with whom!"

"Look at it from our point of view," Jenny said, stopping her flow of rant. "infact, my point of view. You don't walk with us to the meals, to the classes, to the, the, common room, and yes, you come late in the night to sleep,-"

"Are you awake at that time?" Veronica interjected.

"Yes, I am!" Jenny answered, to their surprise. "this whole week I had been noticing you coming in the dormitory around one'O clock!"

"What if I was in the common room?" she asked.

"You weren't," Jenny had an answer to that too. "I had been till around twelve thirty in the common room, waiting for you to come, but you didn't!"

"Are you done?" Veronica said impatiently, "I have to go practise with-"

"Anthony!" Sienna said. "I've heard this ridiculous news that you are dating him?!

"What?" Veronica exclaimed loudly, inviting looks from a group of first year boys sitting huddled up at the next table.

She stared at her for a long moment, as if expecting to say "Just kidding!"

"Who told you this?" She finally asked.

"You are?" Jenny asked. "Oh god! Nobody tells me anything!"

"Of course I'm not!' Veronica said, making a disgusted face at the idea.

"Then what about these rumours?" Sienna asked.

"First thing: who is spreading this idiotic rumour, and second: who cares if I date Anthony or anyone else?"

"It's not about you dating anyone," Sienna said. "it's about Anthony,"

"Anthony?" Veronica repeated.

"He's Ravenclaw quidditch captain, and he's famous," Sienna said. "People obviously want to know about him."

"But if you're not dating him," Jenny said. "then how come these rumours are doing the rounds?"

"Oh, that might be because I've been spending some time with him," Veronica said, getting up, picking up a few books.

"How?" Sienna asked, getting up with her.

"We've just been practising," She said, moving towards Madam Pince's desk. "I have been catching up with all those moves I lost over the summer, and devising some new ones with him."

"That's all?' Jenny asked, following both of them.

"Of course you idiot," Veronica said, submitting in the line to issue books. "I will never date a boy,"

A boy, who was passing them looked up from the book in his hand and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I mean I will never date any one," Veronica said immediately, weakly, as the boy moved on forward, shaking his head.

Jenny looked at Sienna and both of then burst into laughter, then quietened down immediately at Madam Pince's stare.


	23. Chapter 23

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****IN NO WAY**** WOULD VIOLATE THEM****.**

………………………………………………………………

**HOGSMEADE**

Now that Veronica was slowly returning back to her normal self, it was quite easy for Jenny to focus on studies. She was excelling in Arithmancy, making Professor Biddler, who taught the subject; declare her the best Arithmatician he had ever seen. Professor Slughorn was as usual fawning over her, praising her at each answer in potions, and Veronica was slowly getting aware that she is supposed to make faces or pass a comment under her breath every time he did it. Earlier, this used to irritate Jenny, but now this only made her happy, because it meant that Veronica was returning to her usual self, not like the lost and aloof person she had been this past month. The Ravenclaw quidditch team was practising a lot. Anthony never gave them a free morning to afternoon time on the weekends. So every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, Jenny and Sienna used to wait for Veronica to come and join them for lunch. Often, she and Anthony used to come together (that meant usually late than the rest of the team) and sit for lunch with them. Of course, this only aggravated the rumours, and they also made sense, Jenny thought, when one night in the common room, she heard Veronica and Anthony making plans to go to Zonko's the next Sunday, the only practise free day, because a Hogsmeade trip was planned on that Sunday.

"Do you realise you're the one who is fuelling all these rumours?" she asked her, when Anthony had departed to his dormitory.

"How?" Veronica asked, adjusting the cushion behind her.

Jenny sighed in exasperation. Veronica was as good as a boy when it came to see things from a romantic point of view.

"First: you two leave early for practise, and then come late, second: during lunch, meals, you both talk, and if you two meet in the corridor, he gives you that bright smile of his, third: both of you devise techniques for quidditch,-I know you know a lot of tricks now from that _feetball_ game you saw over the summer, but still, only and only you seem to be knowing a lot about it, even though that boy, Did-, Did, Did-"

"Diddius," Veronica said.

"Yes, Diddius! He's muggleborn, right? So he would also know about this feetball, and- I'm not done!" She added, as Veronica opened her mouth.

"And fourth: now you've agreed to meet him at that shop called Zonka-"

"Zonko's!" Veronica said, offended.

"Whatever!" Jenny snapped. "And you've made plans to meet him over there!"

"Are you done?" Veronica asked her. When Jenny did not speak, she started.

"First off, I'm spending time on the quidditch field, not with Anthony, he just happens to be the captain, an over enthusiastic one, at that, second: we've become friends and I don't see any harm in that, third: the game's name is football, not _feet_ball! And yes, Diddius knows about the game, but he's never played it, and I don't see any reason why I should not meet Anthony at Zonko's!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

 "That's what she said?" Sienna said, spooning herself some flakes.

"Yes," She answered, buttering herself some toast.

"Well, I think she's right." Sienna said, looking over at Jenny sitting at Ravenclaw table alone.

"What!" she said, shocked.

"Yes," Sienna said, calmly taking a sip from her goblet of pumpkin juice. "And I think there's more to the story."

"More to the story?" She repeated.

"From Anthony's side," Sienna added, keeping her goblet down. "From what I am seeing, if this 'friendship' as you call it, continues, he's going to definitely ask you out."

"You're mad!" She retorted, getting up, "You're both mad! I thought that maybe you'll understand how ridiculous Jenny is being, but you surpassed even her!"

"I'm telling you, Veronica, if you're not careful you'll be seeing this ridiculous thing turning real!" Sienna called after her.

"So it didn't work," Jenny said, stopping by her side.

"Yeah," Sienna said. "But I really want her to date someone, it'll take her mind off that whole thing," 

"Ignoring the situation won't help," Jenny said wisely. "one has to accept whatever happens in one's life and live it."

"Where did you read that?" Sienna said, frowning at her.

"I answered it yesterday to our entrance door," Jenny answered. "Let's go, Sienna, or else we'd be late for Professor Marchbanks."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

This year was so different than the earlier one. Jenny hardly had time; she was mostly in the library, completing her homework. Sienna and Veronica, on the other hand, did not seem to have any work at all. But Jenny knew she had taken more difficult subjects than them. Divination and Care of Magical Creatures were nothing compared to Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Veronica and Sienna often used to make fun of Jenny for taking such difficult subjects, and one part of Jenny ridiculed her own decision too, she was silently suffering from the workload, it was too much. She also wanted a light subject like Care of Magical Studies, or, or Divination, even muggle studies was not an even easy subject for her.

"Muggle Studies is very, very easy," Sienna had said the other day. "you just have to write a lot, describing why muggles do this or that."

But in writing 'this or that', Jenny was starting to have sleepless nights, when she had to complete three foot long essays each in Potions, DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, Arithmantic calculation charts, and interpretations in Runes.

"I'm thinking of dropping runes," She said one day at breakfast. Charlotte, who was sitting across her, choked on her sip of pumpkin juice.

"What!" she said, dabbing napkin on her shirt front. "No, Samantha! If you'll leave runes, then who'll teach me?"

Jenny had been tutoring runes to Charlotte after classes, sitting in the library, when they used to do their homework together.

"I think I'll take Care of Magical Creatures," Jenny said, sleepily stirring the sugar lumps in the glass of milk infront of her, going on as if Charlotte had not said anything.

"Good for you," Veronica said, biting into a bacon sandwich. "you have been spending a lot of time studying lately, and the result is-dark circles under the eyes along with highest grades in the whole class."

"I don't want highest grade," She said sleepily. "I want to sleep……" Her head slumped down.

"Er, what happened to her?"

Veronica, Sienna, and Charlotte looked up to see a handsome raven haired boy standing behind Jenny.

"Sirius Black?" Charlotte asked, her eyes widening.

A look of annoyance passed in his eyes. "I'm Regulus, Regulus Black!" He huffed, as if she had called him some humiliating name.

"What do you want?" Veronica asked him bluntly. Everyone looked at her. Regulus raised an eyebrow at her, as if she was someone who ought not to have spoken to him.

"What happened to her?" He repeated his question aristocratily to Sienna, ignoring Veronica.

"Fell asleep," she answered briefly, meeting his blue grey eyes.

"Well, when she wakes up, tell her she's to reach at Professor Slughorn's office by 7 P. M. this Saturday evening."

"Was that an invitation to a date?" Torien asked, staring at his back as he walked away.

"No!" Sienna and Veronica said together. "That was an invitation to the Halloween party Slughorn's throwing." Sienna said.

"How do you know about that?" Torien asked.

"Well, your brother _is_ in the slug club you see," Sienna said, getting up. "And guests are allowed,"

"And he invited her," Torien completed, walking away with Charlotte to the first class of this Friday, DADA.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"It doesn't make sense," Veronica said, giving Jenny the ruffle she had asked to hold for her while she braided her hair. "I mean, there's a feast tomorrow, isn't it good enough for Slughorn?"

"Tomorrow's a Hogsmeade weekend," Jenny said, putting the ruffle at the end of her plait.

"So what?" Veronica said, checking her watch. "People still attend the Halloween feast,"

"Well, Professor Slughorn said the other day that at this Halloween party, some very great and famous person is going to come," Jenny said, checking her reflection in the mirror.

"Maybe he was talking about Dumbledore," Veronica said, lying down on her bed.

"What will you do?" Jenny asked Veronica, just before leaving. "Don't spend time with Anthony," she added, before Veronica could open her mouth.

"Why not?" Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm telling you, he will ask you out if you're not careful," Jenny said.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Veronica asked defiantly, though her cheeks got red.

"I don't have a problem," Jenny said, pushing open the dormitory door. "But you will."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Why are you after her?" Sienna said, picking up a bottle of butterbeer for herself. "I mean, even if this does happen, why do you care?"

"Because then she will ask us for help!" Jenny said. "You wait, this will happen, I see how he looks at her, you don't notice-"

"How do you find Glenda Chittock?" Sienna asked, cutting over her, trying to discuss the celebrity of today's party.

Before Jenny could say anything, Timothy came hurrying towards them.

"Did you know-" He started, speaking to Sienna, but then looked at Jenny.

"She's OK," Sienna said, keeping the bottle in her hand down.

"What were you going to speak?" Jenny asked him, stiffening up a little bit, thinking it would be the 'confession' that David might've made to him.  

"I've heard Anthony has asked Veronica on a date," He asked, smiling at the idea.

"What!" Jenny exclaimed.

"That's good," Sienna said, picking up her butterbeer bottle again. "Oh come on, Jenny, it will do her some good!" She added at Jenny's shocked expression.

"How do you know that?' Jenny asked Timothy, who was feeling amused at her expression.

"Well, his twin sister-"

"Twin?!" "Sister!" Jenny and Sienna exclaimed together.

"You didn't know?" Timothy asked.

"No!" Sienna said. "Who is she?"

"Linda Anthony, she's a Hufflepuff," He said, pointing at a girl standing with a sixth year boy, tilting her head and laughing, her hair the same shiny colour of blond as Anthony.

"She's a fifth year?" Sienna asked. Timothy and Jenny looked at her.

"Got it," She said, a little sheepishly.

"So this means I'll be going alone to Hogsmeade," Jenny said, sometime later, while Sienna and she were walking down together from Slughorn's party.

"I'll be there!" Sienna said, stopping to turn left for the marble stairs that led to the Gryffindor portrait hole.

"What about Timothy?" Jenny asked.

Sienna opened her mouth to speak, but approaching footsteps sounded at the same time. They stood quietly, waiting to see who it was at this time, when a pair of feet appeared at the corner.

"What are you both doing here?" Sirius Black asked them.

"Blimey, this is twelve-thirty in the night, ladies," James Potter said, appearing behind him, not noticing he himself was out at the moment, behind him, another boy whom Jenny recognised as Pettigrew. "What are you two doing here at this time?!"

Neither Jenny nor Sienna answered him.

"You should be in bed," Sirius said, looking at Jenny in the eye. Jenny immediately averted hers, then opened her mouth to say goodnight to Sienna but Sienna spoke to the boys.

"Where's Lupin?" She asked.

"Prefect duties," James replied. "Why?"

 Although Jenny didn't wanted to speak, her mouth wrenched open on its own on James' incorrect answer.

"Gryffindor doesn't have prefect duties today," She said. "Or else Lily wouldn't have still been at Professor Slughorn's party,"

"Oh that's where you've been from!" Sirius said. "Well, don't let us keep ya, gudnite!" He waved a hand in the air as they turned the corner and took the turn. Before turning, he glanced at Jenny.

Sienna was silent. Jenny turned to her, wished night, and then took the shortcut that led to Ravenclaw tower.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sienna was sitting on the teacher's chair, with her legs up at the table. Her chair was resting on its hind legs, and she was making a 'took-took' noise that rang out quiet loudly in the empty classroom every time she made it.

"Stop making this irritating noise!" Jenny said from one of the student's chair, her long open hair touching the seat  "Its disturbing me!" she said, while cutting out a sentence in the essay she was writing for McGonagall.

Sienna stopped immediately without a word. She knew that Jenny was in a bad mood because she did not like the subjects she had taken, they were proving difficult to handle. Plus they, that is, Sienna, Jenny, and Veronica had decided to meet here in this classroom to spend some time together and to complete their homework but an hour had gone by, and Veronica had not arrived still.

"What is the time?" Jenny asked, coming over at the teacher's desk and drawing a chair behind her.

"Five-thirty,"

"Great!" Jenny said, drawing the chair with a lot more energy then required "its five thirty, and she is still not here!"

Sienna said nothing.

"What does she expects from us? Does she think that we are a pair of morons who will keep sitting here, waiting for her while she is off with Anthony to practise?"

"How do you know that she is off with Anthony?" Sienna asked, looking at Jenny.

"How do you know that she is _not_ off with Anthony?" Jenny asked back.

Sienna looked at the door as if expecting it to speak "I just know, okay? Veronica will never keep us waiting like that without anything unavoidable."

"Well, quidditch _is_ unavoidable for her!" Sienna again did not answer.

Five minutes passed in silence. Then Sienna spoke "Lupin,"

"What Lupin?" Jenny asked, while staring out from the open window.

"Remus Lupin,"

"Who is Remus Lupin?"

"The one who hangs around with James Potter and Sirius Black,"

 Jenny turned immediately. "What about him?" she asked Sienna.

"There is something odd about him." Sienna replied, her eyes thoughtful and staring far away at a spot which Jenny could not locate.

"Odd? In what way?" Jenny asked

"Have you noticed him, all these years?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow "All these years?" she asked "Do you mean to say that there is something odd about him from the time since we came here?"

"Could be, I'm not sure, but;" Sienna looked at Jenny, the thoughtful expression gone from her eyes "every time I've seen him, he looks, he looks...odd"

"He looks odd to you?" Jenny repeated

"No, I mean, yes, he does, but not in the way you are thinking, but, but ..._weak_…_"_

"I have never observed him so much," Jenny said, looking at Sienna scrutinizingly.

"Well, I have and,.. I don't think that you would be able to tell the difference even if you did, because, I've seen weak people," Sienna said.

Jenny did not ask what she meant. Sienna's words were crystal clear, as she was brought up in an orphanage; she had seen a good deal of sick children than her, maybe she had even seen someone die.

Sienna did not pursue her observation about Remus Lupin, nor did Jenny ask her anything else that she might have observed. The minutes passed in silence, the scratching of Jenny's quill on paper the only sound. Just as Jenny was going to suggest leaving the class, the door creaked open.

"Where were you?" Sienna asked as Veronica slumped her bag on the teacher's desk and sat down beside Jenny drawing a chair noisily.

"Library," She said, yawning.

"What!" Jenny and Sienna exclaimed together.

"Come on, Veronica, at least pay attention to how you are lying!" Sienna said.

"This is no lie," Veronica said, reaching for her bag and pulling out three rolls of parchment.

"You did that Kappas essay too!" Jenny said, immediately snatching the rolls from her hand. "How come?!"

"Well, I forgot that I was supposed to meet you guys here after practise," Veronica said, her eyes on Jenny's transfiguration essay, "Anthony asked me what I was going to do, I said homework, he said he'd help me with it, he also had homework to do and_ Jenny, stop giving her these looks!"_ She added, as Jenny gave Sienna a significant look.

"This is getting out of hand," Jenny said immediately, Sienna rolled her eyes. "you should do something about it, Veronica,"

"Do something about what?" Veronica asked hotly, her cheeks getting redder by the moment, as she understood what Jenny was trying to implicate. "And don't you answer my question!" She added, flushing, as Jenny opened her mouth to give a reply.

"She's right, Jenny, there's nothing wrong with-" Sienna started, trying to defend Veronica, but Veronica said loudly-"You two shut up! And _you_," She added, as Jenny opened her mouth again. "drop it, okay? _No_!" she said, when Sienna opened her mouth to tell Jenny off, "Just leave the matter! And talk about something else! Like how you've misunderstood the spell to defend yourself from a Kappa!" she said, picking up Jenny's Transfiguration essay.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You two are late!" Sienna said to Jenny and Veronica as they rushed down the marble stairs, taking two at a time. "What kept you? I've been here since half an hour!"

"I could not find my form!" Veronica said, hurrying to the entrance door, opening the folded paper in her hand and handing it to Filch, who snatched it from her fingers.

"Well, Tim was sure you two were not going to turn up," Sienna said, following them outside.

"And I thought you'd be gone by now," Jenny said.

"Never mind that, let's go to Zonko's," Veronica said.

"I think we should have a butterbeer first," Sienna said.

So they jogged up to the gate in the howling wind, too excited to walk normally. Just as they were out of the school, Jenny threw out a hand and stopped the other two.

"What?" Veronica asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

Jenny pointed at a group of boys standing near the gates.

"It's the marauders," Sienna said, squinting her eyes.

"Mar-what?" Jenny asked, being pushed in the back by Veronica to start moving again.

"That's what they call themselves," Sienna said. "come one, Jenny, let's move."

As the girls passed them, the boys, who were laughing loudly, stopped laughing and stared at Jenny, as she was the one who was in lead, trying to get away from them as fast as possible. She did not look in their direction, just walked forward without a single glance at them and so did Veronica, but Sienna openly stared at the boys as she passed them.

Hogsmeade was better than Jenny had imagined. The post office, Dervish & Banges, Honeydukes, was all too good to put in words. Veronica and Sienna literally went mad in Honeydukes, Veronica bought three large slabs of chocolate for them, because Sienna could not buy one for herself, Jenny just took one of those muggle toffees in flavours she had never heard of before-Blackcurrent  Pineapple, Tamarind Mango, and Creamy Orange.

                                                                                          Sienna and Jenny appreciated the dress robes hanging stylishly in the shop front of Gladrags Wizardwear as Veronica checked out a pair of socks that used to start dancing when they used to get smelly. The most interesting shop according to Jenny was Dervish & Banges, the wizarding equipment shop. The sneakocopes, foe glasses, and reflectors (they reflected the reflection of a person standing beside you only if he or she was your sincere friend and meant your good), the shop had it all. As Jenny went and stood infront of it, Sienna came and stood next to her, peering at her reflection, missing the small card that described what it did. "Never cut your hair, Jenny," She said, staring at her hair in the mirror. "they're beautiful." Jenny smiled at her in reply, not because she had complemented her, but because Jenny was glad that Sienna could see her in the mirror, just as she could see her.

"Are you two done?" Veronica asked from behind their backs, looking at them in the eye in the mirror. "Let's move now! There are other shops as well!"

Jenny smiled at Veronica's reflection in the mirror. "Let's go." She said.


	24. Chapter 25

Hey guys! I'm updating from my school! Actually i wrote this chapter at home but didn't have time to update. So, expect more updates, may be smaller chapters, but still, I'll be able to update atleast thrice a month!

NO PART OF THIS BORROWED PLOT MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSLATED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

**THIS IS A BORROWED STORYLINE FROM THE _Harry Potter_ SERIES, AUTHOR-JK ROWLING. I RESPECT HER MORAL RIGHTS AND ****IN NO WAY**** WOULD VIOLATE THEM.**

………………………………………………………………

**WHAT A MATCH!**

They met up with Timothy in the three broomsticks, he was lounging in the backmost seat, and when they entered, he stood up and waved his hand to get their attention. As they neared his table, Jenny saw his drink mates: David, of course, and a few other boys who stood up at their sight and left the table after nodding at the boys.

"How come you're here?" He asked Veronica, pushing back a chair for her.

"Why can't I be here?" She asked, totally ignorant that her 'meeting' with Anthony was known to him too.

"Well, you know, I thought, Anthony and you-" Jenny shook her head slightly, her eyes going wide, Timothy changed track immediately. "-and the rest of the team would be practising,"

"Not on a Hogsmeade weekend," Veronica, who was looking at the counter, where Sirius Black and James Potter were standing, laughing with the bar woman, Madam Rosmerta. "This James Potter," she said further, thoughtfully. "I've started thinking he's a bit of a show-off,"

Timothy choked on his drink, David smiled, surprised, Sienna said "What?" and Jenny clapped her hands.

"Finally!" she said, smiling at Veronica. "Took you time, but still, finally!"

"Yeah, I've noticed he struts around a lot infront of girls of his class," Veronica went on, speaking what she had observed. "and from what I've come to know, he's like that most of the time,"

"That's true," David said, getting up to get them drinks. "I'll get you butterbeers," he added, as Sienna looked at him enquiringly.

Jenny's eyes followed him till the bar counter. She was feeling a little sorry for him now. He had always been so good to her, and she had rebuffed him like that. After what happened in Papyrus, (although nothing did) he was behaving very normally towards her. Jenny quickly withdrew her eyes away from him to back to the table, as he turned towards them, three bottles in his hands, to see Sienna and Timothy standing up.

"Where're you going?" Veronica asked.

"Take the drink," Timothy said to Sienna, while leading her away from the table by hand. "and bye!" they called before exiting the bar.

"Where're they going?" Veronica asked as David kept down the butterbeer bottles on their table.

"I don't know," He said, pushing a bottle towards her. "maybe just going to get some time alone." He said these words while pushing a bottle towards Jenny, looking at her in the eye. The bottle stumbled, and Jenny caught it, her eyes carefully avoiding David's.

"Where are you going now?" Veronica asked as David did not sit down with them.

"Back to school," he said. "have to -complete the homework," he said, before turning and leaving the bar. This left Jenny feeling even more stupid and sorry.

"He's going nuts." Veronica observed.

They finished their drinks and left, Jenny really not paying attention to where they were going or what Veronica was saying, she was still thinking about David.

"Hi Lauren!" Veronica said excitedly, Jenny looked up, and immediately controlled a strong urge to cackle evilly and run away.

Anthony was standing infront of the joke shop Zonko's, wearing purple robes, and clutching a covered box in his hands. He looked a little puzzled at Jenny. Clearly, he wasn't expecting her.

"Er, hi," he said, looking confusedly at Jenny. Jenny nodded; she was finding it hard to speak at the moment.

"Let's get going, then?" Veronica said, heading towards the door of Zonko's. Jenny hesitated, and then followed her, her hands tightly clenched.

"Veronica?" Anthony spoke tentatively. Jenny did not need to turn back like Veronica; she knew that Anthony had not moved an inch from his place.

"What is happening?" he asked.

"What is happening?" she repeated, puzzled. "Well, you asked me to meet you here at Zonko's, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," he said, taking a step forward. "but," he glanced at Jenny hesitatingly, then at Veronica, and looked at her imploringly, his eyes begging her to understand mutely.

"What?" Veronica asked.

Jenny still did not speak, she had decided to let happen whatever may happen. If Anthony now spoke what he wanted to speak (and Jenny had a shrewd idea what it was), then Veronica would realise that Jenny had been right all along.

But maybe Anthony lacked the courage. His shoulders sagged, and he sighed. "I've got to go," he said.

"Where?" Veronica asked.

"Back to school." he said in a small voice. "Just remembered an urgent work."

Veronica opened her mouth at this, looking like she was going to say, "You can't go, you asked me to meet you here!" but she didn't.

"Okay, then, see you in practise tomorrow."

Anthony sighed again, then glanced at Jenny again, turned, and left.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"How was practise?" Sienna asked Veronica as she came and slumped down in the chair next to her and Jenny's in the library one evening.

"Anthony's behaving very strangely with me," She said in reply.

"Oh really?" Jenny said in a mocking voice, pausing in her essay on how to defend yourself from a grindylow, "That's news to me!"

Sienna shot her a look. "Strange in what way?"

"He's not speaking to me the way he used to," Veronica said. "you know, me and him, we used to joke around, laughing our head off…………" her voice trailed away. Jenny pursed her lips.

"What is he doing now?" Sienna asked.

Veronica opened her mouth, and then closed it. Then opened it again.

"He's not joking with me," she said. "and he keeps staring at me strangely as if he's having a stomach ache, and oh god, there he is!" She said, as the door of the library opened and Lauren Anthony walked in. He was sure looking very moody and thoughtful. His eyes travelled over to where they were sitting, and he stopped abruptly, coming in the track of a first year boy on his left. As the first year crossed him, he turned, and left the library speedily.

"See?" Veronica said, getting up. "Where're you going?" Sienna asked her.

"I'm going to go talk to him," she said, pushing her chair back.

"No!" Jenny said loudly, grabbing her hand. "You're not going anywhere! It's his problem; he'll come and talk to you himself!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

But nothing of the sort happened. A week passed, and Anthony's strange behaviour to Veronica continued. The first match of the quidditch season, Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff, arrived and he was still the same.

"He's burning," Sienna observed, as he entered the great hall on the day of the match, looking surly.

"Burning?" Jenny repeated, watching Veronica stand up and walk over to the Ravenclaw table. Anthony took one look at her, coloured up, and hastily slid down a seat and started spooning himself some flakes energetically. The boy sitting next to him turned to him. "That was mine!" "Sorry," Anthony said sheepishly and pushed the bowl back to him.

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked her.

"He wants to ask her out," Sienna said, adding sugar to her bowl of flakes. "but he can't, or, let's say, Veronica doesn't understand that he wants something more than friendship-" she stopped abruptly and let out a giggle.

"Why are you giggling?" Jenny asked her.

"Imagine," Sienna said. "Veronica's face when Anthony will ask her out!" And she let out another giggle.

The Ravenclaw quidditch team stood up, all of them looking uncertain about today's match. As Jenny and Sienna called out "Good Luck!" to Veronica, Sheena, the other chaser sneaked over towards them, quite behind her team members.

"Hi?" Sienna said uncertainly, as Sheena leaned towards them, looking sideways for other Gryffindors.

"Gift your friend some brains!" she said in reply. "Or spects, because she can't see something so crystal clear!"

"Oh," Jenny said, catching on what she meant.

"You her are friends so I thought I should tell you," Sheena continued, standing up. "Tell her this; it's getting way obvious what he wants." With this, she turned and rushed out of the hall.

"Whoa!" a voice said from Jenny's left. "Who was she talking about?" Sirius Black asked her.

"Mind your own business!" Jenny snapped, and got up angrily. Sienna followed her.

"You've changed so much," She remarked.

"See?" Jenny said, ignoring her remark, joining the throng of students exiting the great hall. "Everyone is noticing, _except _her!"

"We can not do anything," Sienna said wisely. "Whatever can be done is to be done by her only."

"But she's not noticing anything," Jenny said angrily. "Or maybe she doesn't want to notice or whatever! I'm getting sick of handling Veronica and Veronica's problems!"

"Jenny!" Sienna said.

"It's always about her!" Jenny said, taking long fast strides, overtaking the crowd. "First this, then that, then something else……….."

"You should be thankful!" Sienna said. "You should be thankful that she's fine after, _after what happened in July_!" she whispered the last words.

Jenny remembered the incident. How would she had been if she'd come to know something like that about herself? She felt guilty immediately.

"Sorry," she said, feeling ashamed.

"Never mind," Sienna said. "just keep your mouth shut and anger in check when she comes back after the match, I'll talk to her, there's Tim!" Timothy was waving at them from one of the stairs that led to the stadium.

"What'd' you reckon?" He asked, making his way to the seats David was saving them. "What are the chances?"

"Of a Ravenclaw victory?" Sienna said, following him. "Well, there's no one new on the Hufflepuff team, is there?"

"They have been practising a lot," David said, passing them binoculars. "and from what I've heard, Anthony has somehow lost his zeal."

"Lost his zeal?" Jenny repeated. "Who told you that?"

"I overheard his sister in Herbology a week ago," David said, using his binoculars to look at the crowd. "She was worrying about him."

"To her friend?" Sienna asked.

"No, to him-hey, the commentator has changed!"

Jenny focused on the commentator's podium with her binoculars. Instead of Turpin, a girl with long black hair blowing in the wind, was standing there.

"She's a Ravenclaw!" Tim said, noticing the tie she was wearing. "What's her name?"

His question was answered soon. As the mingled sound of cheers and boos increased, she switched on the megaphone.

"Good-good morning, everyone," she said in a nervous voice, and then paused a little, as if thinking that the crowd will chorus 'good morning' back to her.

"I-am Aditi, Diwan." She said. "Your commentator for today's match and here comes the Hufflepuff team, Chasers- Emma, Demitri, and Rodedricks, keeper- Daniel, Beaters- Copperfield & Tenesse, and lastly- Brompton, seeker!

"And Ravenclaw team is also on the field! Chaser and Captain Lauren Anthony with other chasers- Sheena and Veronica, seeker Brokeckelhurst, beaters-Prakash Patil and Di-Diddius, and lastly, keeper-Erquhart!"

The Captains shook hands and took off as Mr. Skitt released the snitch. Veronica, Sheena, and Anthony immediately formed a triangle, Anthony at the peak, Veronica and Sheena circling beneath him. Anthony caught the quaffle and sent it towards Sheena, but Rodedricks intercepted and changed the direction of the game. The Hufflepuff players zoomed into action. Even as Diddius and Patil sent the bludgers at them-

"Hufflepuff scores!" Aditi spoke to the crowd. "Ten-Zero to Hufflepuff!"

Twenty minutes later, the score was sixty-zero to Hufflepuff. A group of rowdy Ravenclaw boys sitting behind Jenny and Sienna were shouting.

"Come on you fools!" One of them shouted. "Score!"

"What's happened today?" Sienna asked worriedly as Aditi announced: "Sixty-Ten to Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw Captain has asked for time out." She said, adding something other than the scores; she had been announcing scores only.

Jenny was focusing on the Ravenclaw players. Anthony was looking irritated, he was yelling at Sheena, who was yelling back and pointing at the Hufflepuff beater, Tenesse, who was smirking. Patil was trying to interfere, but the argument between Anthony and Sheena was not stopping. Mr. Skitt was watching them from down below, and just as Veronica started speaking to Sheena, and the direction of the argument shifted, he flew up to them. Five minutes later, the Ravenclaw team got ready to resume the game, but in even worse spirits, because it had started to rain.

As big, fat drops started obscuring Jenny's vision through the binoculars, she could see Veronica fuming on her broom. She was gripping the handle of her broom tightly, and her eyes were narrowed: they were on Sheena's back. And just as Mr. Skitt's whistle sounded, she dived for the quaffle, outstripping the Hufflepuff chaser infront of her. Swiftly catching it, she sped towards the Hufflepuff goalposts, and just as the Hufflepuff chasers surrounded her, and Tenesse sent a well aimed bludger towards her, she shot up, throwing the quaffle to Anthony, who passed it to Sheena, who passed it to Veronica, who had sped to the Hufflepuff goalpost, and who easily shot it through. The Ravenclaws in the crowd cheered, and Aditi announced-"Twenty-Sixty to Ravenclaw!"

From then on the Ravenclaws just cheered, and the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins booed and jeered. Though it was raining now, but the Ravenclaw team had started playing well. Veronica was shooting every goal, never missing a chance to shoot. The beaters, too were sending aimed bludgers till Diddius accidentally hit the Hufflepuff keeper Daniel in the face, smashing his nose. As blood soaked the white tee-shirt collar that was visible at the neck of Daniel's robes, Mr. Skitt rang his whistle and awarded a penalty to Hufflepuff.

"It was unintentional!" Jenny and Sienna yelled together, along with the boys sitting behind them. Sienna turned to Timothy, who was supporting neither team.

"Come on, cheer for Veronica!"

"I don't want to face her on the field again," he said.

Erquhart's face was set as Demitri charged forwards, the quaffle shot towards the third hoop, and right into Erquhart's outstretched hand. Ravenclaws cheered again. Veronica shot goal after goal, first levelling the score, then surpassing it.

The score was Two Hundred & Seventy-Sixty to Ravenclaws. There was a decided tension in the air, Veronica's hairs were sticking, and she was drenched wet, just like the other players. The rain was stopping now, and a cool breeze had started flowing. Then the Hufflepuffs cheered, Rodedricks had shot a goal. Aditi announced: "Seventy-Two Hundred& Eighty to Hufflepuff!" Jenny saw Erquhart swearing. Veronica waved a hand at him, and the game swung into action again, Veronica was in possession of the quaffle, when Brompton, who had been circling above, dived speedily. Brockelhurst followed, and the crowd shouted, for he had gone and smashed into Veronica. He and Veronica, needless to say, went falling down, towards the ground, with Veronica clinging onto Brockelhurst, he had knocked her off her broom.

The crowd screamed, whether because Brompton was an arm far from the snitch, or because Veronica and Brockelhurst were both falling. Mr. Skitt ran out in the pitch and pointed his wand at them, and they slowed down. Just as they slumped on the ground, Brompton caught the snitch. But the Ravenclaws were cheering because it meant-

"Two Hundred & Twenty-Two Hundred & Eighty to Hufflepuff! Ravenclaw wins!"

Jenny and Sienna jumped, cheering wildly. "Let's go!" Jenny said, and Sienna followed. As they ran down the stairs and into the pitch, where Mr. Skitt was standing next to Veronica and Brompton (who were lying on mud), Brompton looking dejected, the whole team flew down to them. As Jenny and Sienna levelled with the team, who were all hugging Veronica, after all it was because of her they had won the match, Anthony landed in a puddle with a great splash, left his broom, walked forwards, threw Sheena, who was standing infront of Veronica, roughly aside, grabbed Veronica by the face, and kissed her.


	25. Chapter 26

Hi, people! I'm updating once again, it's fantastic to write for you! I know it's not frequent, but still, atleast I'll be able to update twice a month. It's hectic over here, I've chosen the science side with psychology as my optional subject, and then we have that dance and French classes in the evenings, and there are other three girls except me for this computer, too. Anyway, now I've decided to write an author's note every time instead of those disclaimers. I'll be able to interact with you guys this way. Hope you like this one, the end is really what you will never expect, but then, isn't Veronica predictable in her unpredictability?

………………………………………………………………………

**THE AFTERMATH**

Jenny couldn't believe her eyes. This can not happen! This can _not_ be happening!

Mr. Skitt's jaw was dropping. Sheena's eyes were as wide as galleons, Brockelhurst, who was next to Veronica in the mud, had a mixed expression of disgust and shock on his face. Sienna's hand was covering her mouth, a surprised smile behind it. The other team members too, were wearing the same expressions of shock, in some cases disgust. Veronica's eyes were wide, and she was standing on her knees. Her hands were limp by her side, and Jenny could see shock written clearly on her face. She seemed too taken aback to react.

                        Anthony's eyes were shut, and he was still kissing Veronica. When he withdrew, his face didn't show any shock or regret, but a determined, excited expression, as if nobody in the world could stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do now.

 Veronica kept looking at him as if she still couldn't believe that it had really happened what had just happened. The people were shouting, whistling and jeering something incomprehensible. Mr. Skitt's jaw was still dropping.

She blinked, and then something woke inside her, Jenny saw it in her eye. Squelching in mud, she stood up fiercely, a wild murderous expression on her face, her eyes brimming with tears, and before Anthony could do anything-

WHAM!

Anthony fell down flat on his back, his nose dripping blood. Mr. Skitt launched himself between Veronica and Anthony, stopping Veronica from jumping onto Anthony's chest. She was crying openly, and shouting some words that can be described as some points ahead of 'impolite'. Jenny and Sienna darted forwards, trying to control her as the rest of the team surrounded Anthony. But she broke away from Mr. Skitt's hold and ran away, howling, her face in her hands. Mr. Skitt motioned Jenny to follow her, but they had already dashed after her.

Trying not to slip in the mud under her feet, Jenny followed Veronica, who was crying loudly and running as if a mad dog was after her. Sienna was a little behind Jenny, panting already and calling her name.

"Veronica!"

Veronica passed the stands, from where the crowd was spilling, people shouted and pointed at her as she ran through them, two boys whistled. As Jenny neared them, she saw they were Slytherins. As they were through the crowd, Jenny saw Veronica still running, now towards the forest.

"Veronica!" Jenny shouted. She still did not stop.

"Veronica, stop!" Sienna shouted. Veronica kept on running. "Veronica!"

She had reached the edge of the forest. She still did not stop, and disappeared from view.

"VERONICA!" Jenny and Sienna shouted together, whatever happened, it was still not advisable to enter the forbidden forest.

Jenny faltered at the edge of the woods. Sienna stopped after her.

"What d'you….think?" She asked, panting, her hand at her chest. "Should…we go after her?"

Jenny bit her lip, and in answer to Sienna's question, stepped forward timidly. Sienna copied her and stepped after her, her wand in her hand. Jenny's mind was shouting at her to go back to the castle and bring some teacher or atleast Mr. Skitt with them before entering the forest. Thoughts about acromantulas and about their ex-DADA teacher, Professor Einhorn and what happened to him were surfacing in her mind.

But she need not have worried, Veronica had not gone far. Just after a few steps, Sienna nudged Jenny and then pointed at a figure, sitting against the bark of a tree. Light filtering from between the leaves was falling at her sand coloured hair. She was hugging her knees, her face hidden in her arms resting on her knees.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"She's fine, she's just feeling angry and embarrassed because everyone is staring at her," Jenny thought as Veronica snapped at her loudly in public and stalked away to DADA, just as the bell rang, signalling the starting of the classes for the day.

They were in the great hall, sitting infront of their un-touched bowls of flakes, (in Veronica's case, a toast which had been buttered so excessively that it had gone soggy.) It was the morning after the 'incident' and needless to say, Veronica was in a very foul mood.

Sienna looked up, and sighed. Slowly, they swung their bags over their shoulders, purposely not joining the crowd leaving the hall. Jenny, for the first time, was not thinking about what they will study today, but thinking about how the day will pass.

DADA passed normally. Well, as normal as it could get. Professor Zankman was his usual to-the-point self, telling them within five minutes of the class how to tackle a boggart. As Jenny noted down whatever he had said in one breath, she noticed him giving Veronica a very peculiar look. But it was only for a fraction of second, and he turned quickly to write the spell on the black board.

Transfiguration was the same; Professor McGonagall scolded those who did not submit their assignments today, including Veronica. Though she was asking everyone individually the reason they did not submit their essay today but she did not even look in Veronica's direction.

Potions was also the same except that Professor Slughorn had cold and they had the class with Slytherins. Veronica's face was stony and her fists were clenched under the table. Sienna kept whispering "Ignore them, they're idiots, they're stupid," to Veronica the whole period as the Slytherins kept passing whispered remarks at her whenever Slughorn was not around. Jenny, in an attempt to draw her attention from the Slytherins started asking for her assistance in making shrinking solution, the potion Slughorn had asked them to brew today. Veronica helped her too, in getting the shrivel figs that were used in this potion but Jenny knew she was not paying attention as twice she returned with bezoars when Jenny had asked for a pinch of salt from the potions cupboard. When the potion was ready, (they were the first ones) Jenny asked her to submit the glass bottle on Slughorn's table, who was sneezing heavily. Veronica clutched the bottle tightly, her jaw clenched, face working horribly to try and control her anger as Ted Grithins  and Barty Crouch Jr. started singing "_Anthony and Andrews sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G………."_

Jenny watched fearfully as Veronica got up, and her body unusually stiff, kicked back her chair and walked towards Slughorn's table. Slughorn was sneezing very loudly, and cursing his cold. Taking advantage of his distraction, Grithins voice had surpassed whispering, and the Ravenclaws watched as all the Slytherins drew the tips of their fingers together, forming two figures that seemed to be kissing. That was the cue for Veronica. She turned fiercely in half way to Slughorn's table, strode over to where Grithins was sitting, and broke the bottle in her hand on his head. Several girls shouted, and so did Jenny and Sienna. The crash, the shriek and the shouts brought Slughorn's attention and he stood up immediately, yelling at Veronica, who was now punching Barty Crouch JR., to stop, and hastened towards them but couldn't because Jenny, in her haste to reach Veronica, had tried to shift her cauldron from her bare hands, forgetting that it had been over fire till a minute ago and was still burning hot. The cauldron clanged loudly as it fell from her hands, spilling the rest of the potion it contained. The class started shouting again, the girls were climbing on their seats to avoid the potion which was now streaming towards their seats.

"WHICH IDIOT DID THIS?" Slughorn shouted, slipping in the potion.

Jenny put up her hand sheepishly. Slughorn, who was going to yell again, stopped in amazement.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

No need to say Veronica got detention. Slughorn did not scold her much but still gave her double detention for that weekend. By the time the weekend arrived, Veronica had two week's worth of detention. One from Slughorn ofcourse, one from McGonagall because she had seen Veronica send a Tarantallegra hex at Querill outside transfiguration the other day. Not seen actually, because he had gone and crashed into her as she arrived there. That earned her a week's detention in one go, then another week's from their herbology teacher, Professor Sprout for throwing Grithins (again!) in a stump of snargaluff pod that they were passing by at that time. Then she snapped at Professor Flitwick when he called her that evening to ask why he is getting so many complaints about her. He also gave her a day's detention. So by the time November the first arrived, she had pickled toad liver, pruned the abyssian shrivelfigs and then un-shrivelled them back, polished the silver used at Ravenclaw table, assisted Madam Pince to clean the old books in the library free of pests, and assisted Hagrid to collect unicorn hair from the forest one night, when they gleamed in the moon.

             Other than that, she had twice launched herself at Anthony when he tried to talk to her in the common room. Jenny and a few prefects stopped Veronica from breaking his nose again, she had stopped going for quidditch practices, (big surprise!), and was always scowling; scowling during the classes, at meal times, in the corridors, Jenny noticed her scowling while brushing her teeth one day, and……………………………………………………………………………………………other than that, it was all quite pleasant.

Jenny was walking ahead of Sienna and Veronica one day, bored from trying to calm Veronica down while they were returning from library one afternoon. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but they didn't go because (Oh come on! Do I need to tell you why?) Veronica refused point blank to 'go at a place where people would just don't mind their business and point and whisper about other people!'. It was just the perfect afternoon to be outside, enjoy the soothing wind blowing through your hair, eat one of those fudgy-fudge pink chocolate she had last had at Honeydukes, drink butterbeer……….

"Jenny?"

Jenny looked up and gasped.

"Where is she?"

Jenny pointed her finger behind her back. Just then, Sienna's and Veronica's footsteps sounded.

"You just don't understand, Sienna!" Veronica was saying. "You've never had that mortified feeling, have….." she trailed away when she saw who was standing infront of Jenny.

"How are you?"  Eminem asked.

Veronica did not answer.

"Robby had written a letter to me three weeks ago." She said. "About what happened,"

Veronica still did not speak.

Jenny glanced at Sienna. She was staring at her feet, as if trying to not listen in the conversation in this way.

"Then Professor Flitwick sent a letter requesting a meeting concerning your behaviour."

Veronica still did not speak.

"I am coming from his office, ofcourse," Eminem said further. "he told me you've been getting a lot of detentions lately."

Veronica's jaws were clenched. Eminem looked at her in the eye.

"What d'you have to say to that?"

 "Didn't Flitwick and _Robby'_s letter tell you everything?" Veronica asked scornfully.

Eminem nodded.

"Then I think that speaking on the matter is worthless." She said, and moved forwards, leaving Jenny and Sienna standing awkwardly with Eminem.

"Bye," She said decidedly, and moved forwards in the opposite direction, not looking back at her daughter.

Jenny looked at Sienna, who was staring after Eminem, who was walking away determinedly, her hands deep in her pockets, her walk brisk.

"Veronica, she came to meet you!" Sienna said, catching up with her in the corridor.

"She's gone?" Veronica asked, looking behind her back.

"Yes, she's gone," Sienna said. "But Veronica, you shouldn't've walked away from her like that-"

"Listen, I don't want a lecture, okay?" Veronica said, cutting across her.

"Lecture?" Jenny said. "Veronica, we're not giving you a lecture, we're telling you to change your attitude towards important things in life!"

"What is important?" Veronica retorted. "Nothing is important-"

"Don't say that!" Sienna said, her voice magnifying in the empty corridor. A few girls standing at the far end looked in their direction.

"You both will never understand!" Veronica said, taking a door concealed behind a tapestry. "You're always after me, 'don't do this, don't do that-' always trying to boss me around-"

"Boss you around!" Jenny said, loosing her patience. "You call guiding bossing around?"

"I don't need any guidance, if that's your term for bossing!" Veronica retorted. "I'm fed up with-"

"You think only you are fed up!" Sienna said angrily. "Do you think we actually love _'bossing'_ you around, when you're always throwing tantrums, embarrassing people close to you every now and then-"

"Embarrassing?" Veronica indignantly. "When've I-"

"Listen, stop it both of you-" Jenny said, trying to intervene.

"What about just now?" Sienna said. "Why did you walk away from her? Why d'you always act so selfish-"

"Selfish!" Veronica repeated, angrily, loudly, taking a turn, hardly knowing where she was going. Jenny followed them uncertainly, looking around.

"Listen, I don't think we should be here, does anyone of you know where it comes ou-"

"Yes, selfish!" Sienna said, hardly paying attention to what Jenny was saying or where they were going. "You left her standing there so foolishly, she's your mother, after all!"

"Not any more!" Veronica said. "I think you were there that day, weren't you?"

"There goes your stupid attitude again!" Sienna said angrily, jabbing a finger at her shoulder. "Think of what you have, not what you don't have!"

"Girls, really, I think we should stop now and turn back-" Jenny said, staring at the cobwebs on the wall they were passing.

The walls were getting dirtier, cobwebs on most of them. Dust rose when their feet shuffled, it was getting darker with each step, but Sienna and Veronica were not noticing anything.

"Oh shut up!" Veronica said, turning at another turn. Sienna opened her mouth but did not retort back, because everything had suddenly gone dark.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"I don't know, Jenny, what's happening?" Veronica asked in return.

"I don't know myself!" She answered angrily, groping for her wand. "I was telling you people, but you won't listen! Oh, we've had it today!"

"Really?" a voice said in the dark. Sienna gasped.

"Who's there?" Veronica asked immediately.

"Never you mind," the voice said and then quickly, "Don't put on the lights!" As Veronica and Sienna pulled their wands out together.

 ………………………………………………………………………………………………

"She's an idiot," David said. Jenny smiled at him in return. It was late afternoon the next day; they were sitting on the Gryffindor table with Timothy and David.

"I don't think she's an idiot, David," Sienna said. "just confused."

"What's there to get confused about?" Timothy asked. "Anthony likes her, and then he kisses her, end of story! She should not get all cranked up like that!"

"It was a long kiss, by the way." David commented. Jenny looked up quickly at him. He looked away, a little colour in his cheeks.

"Not to forget a public one," Sienna said, her eye on a boy kissing Charlotte's Gryffindor friend a few space away from them.

"What's the big deal about a public kiss?" Timothy asked.

"Not for boys," Sienna said. "Most of the boys," she added when Timothy pointed at the boy kissing Charlotte's friend. "But girls never want their first kiss to be a public one."

"So that was her first kiss?!" Timothy said, and then grinned at David, who did not grin back.

"What?" Sienna asked, finally losing her calm tone.

"That was her first kiss." He said in reply, smiling even more widely.

"So?" Jenny asked him now, feeling the same irritated feeling that Sienna was feeling now.

"Nothing," he said quickly, his smile fading at their expressions.

"Listen, it's not much of a big deal if you got your first kiss before you were thirteen." Jenny said, picking up her books from the table.

Sienna reddened a little, and there was a sheepish tone in his voice when Timothy said "Bye," to them. When they were out of the great hall, Jenny said-

"I never asked you this, but-"

"Yes." Sienna said, reddening more.

This conformed Timothy's boastful attitude back there.

"That was his-" she began again, but Sienna overrode her again.

"Second."

Jenny digested this information as they walked.

"We're going to the library?" She asked Sienna.

"If you want to," Sienna said.

"What, you don't know why we got up from the table?" Jenny asked her.

"Well, you tell me, you were the one who got up from the table first!" Sienna said.

"I don't know, you followed me, I thought we had to go somewhere!" Jenny said.

"_I_ followed you! You were the one who got up; I obviously thought you had to go somewhere!"

"So you're telling me we got up from that table for noth-"

But Jenny couldn't complete her sentence. They had turned into an empty corridor except two people who were the last two people you'll find together. Even the situation was one you could never imagine them to be in.

"Hello, Samantha, Sienna." Anthony said, smiling broadly.

They gaped at him in reply.

"Now that you've found us, there's no point in telling you, so." He shrugged his shoulders. "See you around," And taking Veronica's hand in his, left.


	26. 26

**HELP**

"Now wait a minute!" Sienna said loudly, following Veronica and Anthony. "What were you two just doing there?!"

Veronica blushed, as Anthony laughed. "Nice sense of humor you have," He said.

"Sense of humor?" Jenny joined in. "Is this some joke?"

"Jenny?" Veronica raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Jenny and Sienna asked together.

"Don't you two get it?" Anthony asked confusedly.

"Get what?" Sienna asked loudly. "That you two are dating and that's why you were kissing a few moments ago?"

Anthony and Veronica stared at them. Then, Veronica burst.

"Do you have any problem with that?"

"Problem?!" Sienna repeated loudly. "Problem?! No! No, Ofcourse we don't have a problem with you dating Anthony and going all kissy-kissy with him! Especially after those wonderful days we spent with you trying to bring you back to normal!"

"Listen,-" Anthony began. "Sienna, please, listen to me-"

"You shut up, mister!" Sienna shouted at him. Immediately, Veronica opened her mouth.

"Don't speak like that to him!" She said.

"Oh right, there's no need to do that now!" Sienna said, in a mocking voice. "Why? Because _you_ think there is no need for that because you've already dealt with him, right?"

"Dealt?!" Anthony repeated in an annoyed voice.

"Yes!" Veronica shouted. "Whatever happened happened with me and its upto me to do whatever I want to do!"

"Yeah, right!" Sienna said in the same mocking voice. "Who are we, mere idiots, to object at your mental behavior? One day you go and break his nose, and the other day you go and kiss him! You're right! Why should we care?! Who are we to give a damn about what you do with anyone?!"

"I don't know what your problem is?" Veronica said. "You two should be happy that we have solved everything between us!" Anthony said angrily to Jenny.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Sienna shouted at him.

Hurrying to speak before Veronica opened her mouth, Jenny said; "Veronica, what was the point of fighting with him and breaking his nose and all that when you two had to get together in the end?"

This quietened down Veronica and Anthony. Anthony turned to Veronica expectantly.

Veronica gaped at them. Sienna raised an eyebrow at her silence and said, "Well?"

"I…" Veronica murmured.

"Come on, Nicky!" Anthony said. At this, Sienna gave a shriek of derisive laughter and Jenny's jaw dropped.

Veronica, her face shiny red, flashed him a look of annoyance before hastening to speak before Sienna started commenting on Anthony's nick-name for her.

"I, never realized what I had felt for him exactly," She said, reddening more and staring at her shoes. "And he's been so miserable lately, and then when I met him today in the corridor, he……I………."

"That is what you have to say?" Sienna asked her. Veronica looked up at her and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Anthony had kissed her, engulfing her in his arms.

"Oh!" Sienna shouted angrily, and turned back towards the great hall, from where they had come. Jenny followed her, after taking one glance at Veronica and Anthony.

"You're right!" Sienna said loudly to David as she banged into the hall. "She _is _an idiot!"

"What happened?" Timothy and David asked together. Behind them, the Gryffindor girl and boy kept kissing.

"What _can_ happen?" Sienna said loudly again, and then started pacing in front of them, her speech rapid.

"That stupid, idiot, moron, silly, foolish girl-"

"What girl?" Timothy asked.

"Veronica," Jenny said quietly. David looked at Sienna, who was spluttering with anger.

"What has she done now?"

"Can you believe it?" Sienna said to Jenny. "She was _kissing_ him!"

"Kissing?!" Timothy said, his eyebrows rising. "Whom?" 

"And now she tells us she is dating him!" Sienna said, her voice rising in anger.

"Sienna…" Jenny said.

"What!" David said, looking at Jenny as if trying to confirm it from her.

"Yes!" Sienna said. "She is dating Anthony!"

"What Anthony?!" Came a loud voice. They all turned towards the kissing couple behind them, to see that the girl had broken away from the kiss.

"What Anthony?!" She repeated again, looking at Sienna and Jenny. "You didn't mean that Ravenclaw captain did you?"

They stared at that girl. Then, the girl's boyfriend whom she had been kissing, cleared his throat, and she looked at him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You cannot be pissed off at me forever!" Veronica said, following Jenny and Sienna onto Gryffindor table from Ravenclaw table.

"Go away." Sienna said, pulling a bowl towards her.

"Jenny, honestly, come off it, it's not a big deal!" Veronica said, turning to her. Jenny raised her eyebrows at her.

Veronica turned towards Sienna. "Honestly! You two are just stretching it too far!"

"Too far!" Sienna said, as Timothy sat down next to her, his hands pulling the plate of sandwiches towards him, his eyes on Veronica. "You think we are 'stretching' it too far just like that! For no reason at all?"

"You are angry at me, I know-" Veronica began but Sienna overrode her.

"Angry!" She said, as David arrived with James Potter at the table, and sat down in front of her. "It's not about me getting angry at you, Veronica, it's about showing some respect and dignity for yourself-" But she could not complete her sentence as Anthony had called out-

"Nicky!"

James Potter spit out the pumpkin juice in his mouth on Jenny's face and Timothy snorted, while munching a sandwich and coughed loudly.

Two bright red spots appeared on Veronica's cheeks.

"Nicky! What are you doing there? Come here, sweetie!"

"Go, Nicky darling," Sienna said. "Don't keep your romeo waiting."

Veronica stood up, her face red, and hurried off to Ravenclaw table. James was trying to dab a napkin at Jenny's face while laughing.

"I'm sorry, but you-" He said, laughing again. Jenny leaned back, keeping out of reach of him, as David snatched the napkin from him.

"I'll do it," He said, and leaned forwards, and pulled Jenny from the shoulders towards him, to wipe her face clean.

'David, no-thanks-I can-"

"I'm doing it!" David said.

"Who's Romeo?" James asked Sienna, wiping his chin. "I though that voice was Anthony's."

Sienna, in answer, got up from the table. Jenny followed her, politely saying no to David to accompany her till the loo.

"Where are we going?"

"Transfiguration." Sienna said.

"So soon?" Jenny said.

"We're just ten minutes early." Sienna said, consulting her watch.

In transfiguration that day, McGonagall distributed their essays at the start of the class which she had checked.

"Well done, Samantha," She said, handing her her essay. A nice and clear 'good attempt' shone in green ink on the front page.

"You too Dearlove," she said to Sienna, handing her her essay. "But listen carefully to the spells."

Sienna accepted her essay without smiling.

Grithins at the next table was sniggering with Crouch Jr. when Veronica appeared at the door of the class.

"Where were you?" McGonagall asked her. "You're ten minutes late."

"Sorry Professor," Veronica said. "I was stuck."

"Stuck?" McGonagall repeated. "With what –or whom?"

Veronica hesitated. "With, with the captain of my quidditch team."

Sienna raised her eyebrows, and so did McGonagall. Grithins and Crouch Jr. started sniggering afresh.

"With your quidditch captain." McGonagall repeated. "And would you like to tell me why you were stuck with him?"

Veronica blushed.

Crouch and Grithins stopped sniggering and stared at her. Jenny's mouth fell open. Sienna shook her head.

McGonagall's eyebrows were quite high now. She was looking at Veronica very intently.

"Get in," She said finally. "And don't be late again," She said, as Veronica walked over to the seat behind Jenny and Sienna and sat down. "and try not to get _stuck_, either."

Veronica blushed again.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Well, Samantha, I've heard your friend has formed friendship with the Ravenclaw captain?" Slughorn asked.

Jenny looked up from her plate.

"Er, yes, sir," she said.

"What is her name?" He asked interestedly.

Jenny stared around. Timothy was sitting beside Slughorn, busily staring at his plate.

"Veronica." She said finally, staring at Tim.

"Veronica Andrews?" Slughorn asked. "The one in your year? Well, she is a smart girl."   

Timothy looked up, and immediately looked down; Jenny was still staring at him.

"Well," Slughorn said. "Maybe we can invite her for the Christmas party."

"Her!" Jenny said in panic. "But why?"

"Why?" Slughorn repeated in a surprised voice. "Well, she can be a good guest, na?"

Jenny was staring furiously at Tim.

"Yeah, maybe." She said finally.

"Well, then I'll give her an invitation tomorrow, and people," He said, turning around to speak to the whole room. "Remember this 21rst we have the Christmas party, and remember! We are going to have Mathew Smythwick present at the party! So come fashionably dressed!"

Jenny excused her early from the dinner by saying she had to get a book from the library before curfew. Strangely, Regulus Black also excused himself with the same excuse. So that meant she really had to go to library.

"So." He said, a smirk on his face. "Your friend Nicky,"

"Not you too!" Jenny moaned.

Regulus laughed. "Ok, ok, Veronica," He said, still smiling. "Is she still on the team?"

"Yes, why?" Jenny said.

"No I just thought that Anthony would've thrown her off after that punch."

Jenny laughed.

"She's a strong girl though," He said. "Impressed me with that punch."

"Yeah, that maybe because of practice." Jenny said. "Anthony's not the first one to have his nose broken by her punch."

Regulus said, "Really?"

"Yeah, she has a habit of tackling issues physically." Jenny said, turning.

"How man-"Regulus began but stopped because they had just come face to face with a Gryffindor prefect: Remus Lupin.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked, his eyes one Regulus Black.

Jenny opened her mouth but Regulus spoke first.

"What do you think?" He asked sarcastically.

 Jenny looked at him in surprise. Lupin just stood there, staring into Regulus' eyes.

Jenny turned to Lupin. "We were going to the library." Lupin looked at his watch.

"It's fifteen minutes to curfew." He said to her. "Do you think you can return before the curfew?"

Regulus opened his mouth again, but Jenny hastened to speak before him. "Yes." She said, looking at him.

Lupin stepped aside. Jenny took Regulus by the arm and led him away, he looked as if he'd like to stay and mock at Lupin.

'What were you doing?!" Jenny exclaimed as soon as they were out of earshot of Lupin.

"Nothing." Regulus said, jerking his arm out of her grip.

'Nothing!" Jenny repeated. "That wasn't nothing! You were going to fight with a prefect!"

"He's a git." Regulus said. Jenny looked at him and opened her mouth, but shut it again. They covered the rest of the distance to the library in silence.

When the reached the library, Regulus opened the door for Jenny. She stepped in, though she had half a mind to walk back to Ravenclaw tower. But she had to get _Eclectic Electric_ by Olive Hornby for her muggle studies essay.

"Yes?" Madam Pince said, staring at them through her glasses.

"I want a book," Regulus said.

"Now?" she looked at her watch. "I am going to close the library in five minutes!"

"But I need that book!" Regulus said.

'Then you should've come earlier, boy!" Madam Pince said, her voice loud. "Come back tomorrow!"

As Jenny stepped outside, Regulus shut the door loudly after her,

"Great! Now what will I do?" He said loudly.

"Which book did you need?" Jenny asked him.

"_Healing the Herb_." He said.

"Oh, for your herbology assignment?" Jenny asked him. "The one in which you had to tend and grow a pot of herb?"

"Yeah!" Regulus said. "Have you done it?"

"Yes, it's easy." Jenny said. "Professor Sprout had awarded me full marks!"

Regulus looked at her.

"Samantha," He said. "you know, you can help me."

"In this assignment?" Jenny asked.

"Yes! I don't know a thing about Vundo and I have to tend it!"

"Vundo!" Jenny said interestedly. "I wanted Vundo, it's the most interesting, but all I had got was-"

"Samantha!" Regulus said loudly.

Jenny bit her lip. What if she helps him? What does it matter anyway, if she does not help him? She can very well say no and go to Ravenclaw tower. But he wants the help, and what's the big deal, if she agrees to help him. It's only a matter of few meetings.

Regulus was staring into her eyes. Unusually, Jenny was also staring back into his blue-grey eyes.

"Okay." She said. Regulus smiled. "when are you getting the herb?" She asked him.

"Tomorrow." He said.

Jenny glanced at her watch. Oh no! Its past curfew!

"Meet me in the library tomorrow evening at six!" She said, before running. "And bring the herb!"

She ran down the stairs, and saw that Remus Lupin was still standing there, now with Lily.

Lily exclaimed, "Samantha!"

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't realize!"

Remus Lupin looked up the stairs and then at Jenny, as if asking her about Regulus. Just then, Regulus' shout sounded.

"Thanks, Samantha!"


	27. Chapter 27

**THE INVITATION**

"Where had you been?" Veronica asked Jenny as she entered their dormitory.

"Professor Slughorn had invited me for dinner, remember?" She said, taking off her black school robes.

"Aditi Dewan is also in the slug club," Veronica said, plopping her elbow on her pillow. "but she came half an hour earlier before you."

"Who is Aditi?" Jenny asked, stopping in between opening her tie.

"She's a second year Ravenclaw and she did the commentary for the last match-"

"I'm trying to sleep over here!" Torien hissed from behind her curtains.

"Anyway," Veronica continued as if Torien had not spoken. "she came earlier than you with her friend, who is _also_ in the club."

"How do you know that?" Jenny asked.

"Will you two keep quiet?" Torien said again, now in a slightly louder voice.

"I saw her." Veronica said. "I was outside ten minutes back-"

"I think I asked you to keep quiet!" Torien said loudly, finally pushing back her curtains.

"Torien, you're making more noise than them!" Charlotte said, poking her head outside her curtains.

"I had to go to the library," Jenny said, taking off her shoes. "for that _Eclectic_ _Elec-_

"

"Samantha," Charlotte said. "can you please discuss it-"

"No we won't!" Veronica said. "We have as much right to talk in the dark like you two!"

"Talk in the dark?" Charlotte and Jenny repeated incredously.

"Talk in the dark!" Torien repeated indignantly. "We never talk in the dark!"

"Oh yes, you do!" Veronica said, sitting straighter.

"No we don't!" Torien also sat up.

"What do you think?" Veronica said. "All those times I never heard you, when you two kept giggling, talking about boys!"

"You giggle about boys!" Jenny repeated with a laugh to Charlotte, who looked embarrassed.

"No we don't!" Torien said, her embarrassment audible in her voice.

"Don't think I never heard you!" Veronica said in a sing-song voice. "Remember the night after I had attacked Anthony for the second time? You were discussing me and him then."

"Really?" Jenny looked at Charlotte.

"Well, the whole school was doing it!" She said in explanation. "But, we _wanted_ you to hear , so that you get to know what should be done!"

"And what about that night, after the sorting?" Veronica said, continuing. "I came in and I heard you two talking about Dav-"

"Veronica, no!" Charlotte shouted, and jumped from her bed, onto Veronica's. Torien also tried to jump, asking at the same time "Why are you jumping?", but landed on the floor. She quickly got up as Jenny rounded on Charlotte and Veronica, Charlotte trying to stop Veronica speak by covering her mouth.

"Charlotte! Stop!" Jenny said. "Can't you think that Veronica can tell me-"

"Jenny-they were-talking about-" Veronica said, struggling to free her mouth from Charlotte's hands. "-About-_oh, you can't stop me!_-about David!"

Charlotte's hands dropped immediately.

"David?" Jenny said interestedly. "What were they saying?" She asked Veronica.

"They were talking about you and him." Veronica said, smirking at Charlotte, whose face was getting red. "Should I tell her Charlotte?" She asked her mischievously.

"Do as you please!" She snapped. "As Samantha just said, you can tell her whenever you like, so what's the point?"

"O-ka-aaay." Veronica said, in the same sing-song voice of hers. "You know, Jenny, she was saying that she-OW!" She could not complete the sentence as Charlotte had once again launched herself on her, slapping her arms. Veronica also started fighting back, and Torien also joined in by landing on top of both Veronica and Charlotte. Jenny shouted and also joined in, the sock which she was taking off in her right hand.

"Stop-it all-of you!" She said, tickling Charlotte and Torien.

Torien rolled off the bed, laughing out of control.

"No!-Sa-Sam-please! Samantha! Don't!" But Jenny, laughing too, did not stop. Charlotte, who was busy slapping Veronica's arms till she saw Torien laughing like mad, left Veronica and bounded towards Jenny, tickling her. Jenny buckled immediately, laughing like Torien. As Charlotte and Torien started tickling Jenny together, Veronica landed on them.

They were all shouting and laughing loudly, not paying attention to what it must be sounding to the people in the common room down the stairs.

"What is going on here?" An angry voice sounded from the doorway.

Pushing Charlotte's blonde hair off her face, Jenny looked up. A girl, wearing a woolen dressing gown with sweaters underneath, and her feet in bunny slippers, was looking at them angrily.

"Do you know I am going to appear for my NEWTS this June?!" She said in the same angry voice, waving a thick roll of parchment at them. Jenny's eyes fell on it, it was crumpled, it looked like some sort of notes made by the girl.

"So?" Veronica said. "What do can we do about that?"

"What you can do," The girl said to her, her voice louder. "is not make any noise!"

"Who are you, by the way?" Torien interrupted.

"Um-" Jenny started, she had recognized the girl. She was the headgirl of that year; Jenny had seen her at those dinners by Slughorn.

"I," The girl's chest swelled. "am the Headgirl."

"Headgirl?" Veronica repeated. "You don't have any badge."

"I don't have it now!" The girl hissed in anger and irritation. "And you are no one to ask anything like that with such authority! And you!" She pointed the parchment role at Jenny, whose eyebrows shot up. "I've seen you at Slughorn's parties! You're that Jones girl! Can't you control your friends?! There are people down there, trying to study!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So, are you going home this Christmas?" Sienna asked.

"I'll have to go." Veronica said from Jenny's left.

"I'm not talking to you!" Sienna snapped from Jenny's right. "I asked Jenny."

"Okay," Veronica said and turned to Jenny. "Jenny, Her Majesty wants to know if you're going home for Christmas."

They were walking towards DADA together the next morning after breakfast. Veronica had joined them from Ravenclaw table, running after them, despite Sienna's hissed warnings of "Don't you dare come after us!", "Don't follow us!", and "Go away!"

"Maybe," Jenny said, looking at Sienna. "I'll have to go too."

"Well, I'm staying." She said.

"What about Timothy?" Jenny asked.

"He's not going to stay." Veronica said in a confident voice. "Torien would never let that happen."

"I'm happy that's the way it is." Sienna snapped. "Or else, he'll stay here with me, and one thing would lead to ano-" She stopped abruptly and blushed deeply as she understood what her words implied. Veronica let out a slow whistle. Jenny, trying hard to ignore what Sienna had just said, spoke.

"Maybe I'll ask Mumma if I can stay here this time." She said, then she looked at Sienna. "Then maybe you'll not be alone." Sienna blushed again.

"No chance for me." Veronica said, taking the turn towards the stairs to third floor for their DADA classroom. "I'll have to go, there's this important wedding

Of Ben's boss coming up, and she-," She hesitated. "-She- she's pregnant."

"Who's pregnant?" Sienna asked immediately. But Veronica was not listening.

"I mean, she says she is, but if she's writing it in a letter, then it must be real, you know-"

"Veronica, who's pregnant?" Jenny asked. "I think I know who she is." Sienna whispered to her.

Veronica sighed. "Who else?" She said. "Mrs. D'Medisi."

Sienna exclaimed immediately. "Oh congratulations!" She said, pushing Jenny aside by her hand. "You're going to have a baby!" She said loudly.

Many people around them looked at her, then at Veronica. Sienna blushed deeply again, embarrassed.

"I meant in your home." She said quietly to Veronica.

Veronica, on the other hand, was not embarrassed at all. Amusement clear in her tone, she said to Sienna, "So….you're speaking to me now."

Sienna opened her mouth to speak, but just then, Regulus Black came into focus.

"Hi Samantha!" He said brightly to Jenny. "Don't forget about today's evening!"

"I won't." Jenny said automatically, noticing at the same time that Sienna's eyes were narrowed.

Waving a hand at her, he left. Sienna looked after him as he turned round the corner and bumped into Karl Beryl, who was running with Querill after him.

"What happened to his regular style of hello?" Veronica asked, entering the class.

"Regular style of hello?" Sienna repeated incredously. "That's what you paid attention to? Didn't you hear what he said?"

"What was he saying?" Veronica asked, taking their usual second-last seat.

"Exactly what I want to ask." Sienna said, sitting down beside her. "What was he talking about, Jenny?"

"Well," Jenny said, sitting down slowly and then getting up immediately as Zankman entered the class and immediately started writing on the black board. "yesterday night, I was at Professor Slughorn's office, and then I went to the library-"

"Come to the point!" Sienna said, taking out her copy of _In Defence: III_ by Freidric Lambard, the book preferred by Professor Zankman for their year.

"He asked me-" Jenny began, but Veronica spoke.

"Out?" She said in a horrified voice.

"No!" Sienna said loudly, catching the attention of Zankman, who glanced at them.

"No, right?" Sienna asked, turning to Jenny. She raised her eyebrows at her.

"Ofcourse not!" Jenny said. "How come you two always jump to the worst conclusions?"

"Well, you never know when something goes wrong in your head, like her." Sienna said, meaning Veronica. "Hey!" Veronica said.

"Anyway," Jenny continued, noting down the words written on the board. "he wanted help in his herbology project, and he asked me, it's the one where we had to tend and grow a herb, he's got vundo-"

"What did you say?" Sienna asked.

"I said okay." Jenny said looking at her. Sienna's eyes were telling that she was suspicious. "And, it's not much work; I'll just have to read our last year's herbology book again to revive the information-"

"Listen," Veronica interrupted. "what we are writing, is this, our holiday homework for Christmas break?"

"Yes," Professor Zankman said from behind and they jumped. "that's the holiday homework for these holidays."

"So early?" Veronica said. "It's just eighteen today."

"I've given the holiday homework early because I'll not be here from tomorrow morning; I'm taking an early break." He said, and moved away.

"This is too much," Veronica said, looking at the black board. "Look, we have to read that chapter about werewolves, write essays on grindylows, werewolves too, and this, this summary on pixies!" She turned to Sienna in horror. "Summary on pixies!"

"What's wrong with that?" Sienna asked, noticing Torien at the next table giving the same reaction to Charlotte.

"You don't know," Veronica said, shaking her head. "Pixies are wide in variety."

"Variety?" Sienna repeated.

"Yes," Jenny said. "There are many types of pixies, sometimes each type of pixies for each and every place they are found at, and their place of origin, then there's the type of parentage they have, which affects their behavior, and then even in all these, there are variations and their types, named after those who found them."

"God, that is wide!" Sienna exclaimed.

"This is just the half of it." Jenny said.

"And he wants us to summaries all of it!" Veronica said, giving Zankman, who was staring thoughtfully out of the window, a glare. "This is going to take weeks!"

"Maybe I'll not go," Jenny said, staring at the homework she had noted down. "Why?" Sienna asked.

"How will I be able to complete all this homework at home, we don't have a library there." Jenny said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Jenny ran up the last stairs to the library that evening, she could hear wailing. She turned at the corner, and saw Regulus standing infront of the door of the library, a sullen expression on his face.

"Hi?" Jenny said, moving forwards, wondering why the wailing sound was coming from him. "Look at this thing," He said in greeting, putting his hand upto his shoulder level, and Jenny saw who was wailing.

It was a small plant, its top covered in small and pointed red spikes. The rest of the portion seemed gray, almost dead. There were a few black leaves at the end of its small stem. A small and thin, barely noticeable lip was protruding from above the end of the stem; it was producing the wailing sound.

"I've had it since the herbology class in the afternoon," Regulus said. "and as soon as I brought it out of the greenhouse, it started wailing!"

"That is because it is in pain." Jenny said, taking the pot from his hand. "It is infected with its seasonal bout of pericadinna-"

"Periwhat?" Regulus asked.

"Pericadinna." Jenny said. "It is a type of a dangerous flu which infects vundos only; it makes them grow poisonous pointed spikes at their only source of sunlight, their head, stopping their daily intake of energy." She pointed at the top with red spikes. "And when they come under sunlight, it pains them because of the poison in the spikes, and they start wailing."

"You really study hard!" Regulus said, Jenny opened her mouth to tell him more about vundo, but just then the door of the library opened, and Madam Pince peeped outside.

"Who's making this no-You!" She said, spotting them. "What are you doing, making ruckus outside the library?"

"Nothing, madam, we were just coming in-" Jenny said.

"What is this noise?" She asked, striding over to them. "I've been listening this horrible wailing for the last five minutes!"

"It's not us." Regulus said. "It's this-" Jenny pushed the pot towards her, so that she could see it. To their surprise, Madam Pince jumped a foot away at the sight of the plant.

"What is this?!" She asked in a scared voice.

"This is a plant." Regulus said, an expression of incredulity visible in his voice.

"I can see that!" Madam Pince snapped. "Why do you have it with you over here? It looks dangerous!"

"It's not dangerous, ma'am." Jenny said immediately. "This is a plant called vundo, and he's got it-" She said, meaning Regulus. "-as part of his herbology assignment and we were just coming in-"

"In my library?!" Madam Pince yelped, and immediately retreated and put her hand on the handle of the door, as if trying to stop them from entering the library. "No! Never!"

"But ma'am-" Jenny began, but she overrode her.

"No, young lady!" She said. "I will never let this thing enter my library!"

"Then how are we supposed to complete the assignment?" Regulus asked.

"That is your problem, not mine!" Slamming the door behind her, she went inside.

Jenny and Regulus looked at each other.

"Now?" Regulus asked.

"Take it to your dormitory," Jenny said.

"What?" He exclaimed. "No way! How will I sleep with this thing wailing in there?"

"It will not wail," She said, as he shook his head. "if you'll keep it under your bed."

"Why there?" He asked.

"Because it will be dark under the bed, and there'll be no sunlight. And even if you light the lamps, it will not affect it."

He looked at the plant, whose wailing had decreased a little as the sun was going down, and there was little light in the corridor. "Okay," He nodded. "What next?"

"I'll meet you tomorrow evening, without weeny-"

"What's weeny?" Regulus asked.

"This," Jenny said, pointing at the plant in his hand. "It is better to give a name to it; vundos have a sense of recognition and giving a vundo a name helps in healing."

"Weird." Regulus said.

"Yeah, but now, you go," Jenny said.

"Where?" He asked immediately.

"Wherever you want to go," She said, and then gave a soft laugh at the expression on his face. "I meant that you take weeny away for today, and we'll meet tomorrow evening, okay?"

"Okay. But what about the books we had to get for-for weeny?" He asked, coloring a little.

"Oh, I'll see to-" Jenny said, but weeny the plant gave a high scream of pain as the oil lamps flickered alive, startling them. The door of the library opened again.

"Didn't I tell you to take this thing away?" Madam Pince shouted at them.

Jenny nodded at Regulus, who nodded back and took the pot from her hands, and left. Jenny turned towards the librarian, who still had a scared expression on her face.

"Can I come in now?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Here," Jenny said to Veronica, giving her a purple roll of parchment.

"What is this?" She asked, opening the silver ribbon.

"Read it," Jenny said, flopping down on her bed.

"No way!" Veronica exclaimed. "I'm not going!"

Jenny had just returned from Slughorn's dinner. He had written invitations for the Christmas party, which were to be delivered to their addressee tomorrow, he had handed Jenny Veronica's.

"How come he invited me?" Veronica said. "What did I do?"

"You became Anthony's girlfriend, and that must have impressed him." Jenny said.

"He said that!" Veronica said, her cheeks getting red. "Infront of everyone present there!"

"He did not say that," Jenny said, getting up. "He asked me if my friend had struck a friendship with the Ravenclaw captain, and I said yes."

"But how come he came to know about that? Did you tell him?"

"No, stupid." Jenny said. "I don't how he came to know, but he already knew about you, he was just confirming it from me."

Veronica looked at the invitation again.

"I'm not going anyway," She said.

"Why?" Jenny asked, reaching for her bag.

"Being Anthony's girlfriend had made me famous," Veronica said. "People recognize me in the corridors,-"

"People started recognizing you since you joined the team,"

"-girls give me mean looks, and I get invited to parties."

"What other party have you been invited to?" Jenny asked.

"Two." Veronica said, lying down. "There was this first year girl of Gryffindor, she wanted me to attend her birthday party in muggle London after Christmas, and-"

"-Professor Slughorn's also invited you,"

"No, I got invited to another Christmas party." Veronica said.

Jenny looked up. "Whose?"

"Marauder's." Veronica answered.

"Marauder's?" Jenny repeated. "You mean Potter and Black invited you to _their _Christmas party?!"

"Yes," Veronica said with a raised eyebrow. "Why, can't they invite me?"

"But, but, how did this happen?" Jenny asked,

"How did this happen?" Veronica repeated. "I was going for divination today and they were emerging from their Defence class, Potter saw me, and, he invited me."

"When is the party?"

"21rst, obviously, that's the last day of school."

"Will you be going?" Jenny asked. "Ofcourse I'll go, Anthony's coming with me." Veronica said.

"Coming with you?"

"Sirius Black said this was a party where we can bring guests."

"And where is the party?" Jenny asked. "Surely not Gryffindor common room?"

"No, they said they'll tell me later." She said, getting up. "I've to go look for Anthony."

"I'll come too; I've to get some books from the library."

"For?"

"Regulus's assignment."

"I don't know why you're doing it?" Veronica said, opening the door. "I would've said no straight up."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jenny looked up. Where is it?

There was nothing in 'L'. Moving on to 'M', she read its list. No, nothing. Where

is the book she had read for her herbology assignment last year? 'N', and again nothing-

"Hi." a voice said.

Jenny turned to see Regulus behind her.

"Hi,"

"What are you looking for?" He asked.

"There was this book about herbs that I had read last year, it was supposed to be here, in 'L'; it started with the letter L -"

"This?" Regulus asked, putting up the book in his hand.

"Yes!" Jenny said. "You had it with you?"

"Yeah, I took it for the assignment."

"You done with it?" Jenny asked. "I need it."

"Yeah, sure, take it. I was returning it anyway."

As Jenny, (after getting that book issued) shut the door of the library, a voice sounded.

"Samantha,"

It was David.

"Hi," Jenny said. "Shouldn't you be in your common room? It's going to be curfew in ten minutes."

"I saw Veronica downstairs; she said you were here, so I came up-"

"You had some work?" Jenny said, taking the stairs.

"Yes, sort of." David said, biting his lip.

"Sort of?" Jenny repeated.

"Er, it's just…"

"What?" Jenny asked, taking the turn to the shortcut for Ravenclaw tower.

"It's just…….that James had invited me to-"

"His party?" Jenny asked. David nodded. "And?" Jenny asked, thinking she knew what was coming.

David was looking a little pink. "So, um…..would you…."

"-Like to come with you to the party?" Jenny asked. He nodded.

Why does this always happen? Jenny thought. Why this type of situation occurs with David _only_ in a deserted place? When there's no one around and the silence can actually be loud enough to suggest unsaid possibilities?

David was looking nervous, his eyes were showing it.

"Okay," Jenny said. "But I also have to go to Slughorn's party."

The relief that had spread on his face at her 'okay' left as quickly as it had spread.

"So?" He asked. "I mean, what should I do about it?"

"Well, you can come with me," Jenny said. "we'll go to Slughorn's party first," She said, pressing on as David opened his mouth. "we'll stay there for a little, and then we can go to your party."

"Okay." David said, smiling.

Jenny bid that widely smiling David goodnight and turned to the shortcut with the thing in her mind that she had just remembered, she had to ask Veronica what Charlotte was saying about David the night after the sorting?


	28. Chapter 28

**IN THE LIBRARY- I**

"No, not here, she usually comes and sits here!" Jenny said.

"Okay, then, we can go to Gryffindor table," Veronica suggested.

"But there will be Sirius Black there!"

"He's not there, Jenny," Sienna said, starting to get impatient. "What is it that you two want to talk about, anyway?"

It was the twentieth of December, the next day, and also the second last day before the term end. Jenny and Veronica had left their dormitory early, before Charlotte or Torien. They had found Sienna walking down the stairs and she had joined them.

"Okay, now tell me," Jenny said, sitting down on the end of Gryffindor table. "Quick, before anyone comes."

Veronica rolled her eyes before opening her mouth. "D'you honestly think-"

"Just say it!" Sienna said.

Veronica looked at them, and then smiled a mischievous smile. "Okay, I want you to believe each and every word I say-"

"That means she's fibbing," Sienna whispered. Veronica stopped and glared at her.

"You go on! Don't pay attention to her!" Jenny said impatiently.

"Boy! You really are curious!" Sienna said.

"Okay, _again_," Veronica said. "This is not a figment of my imagination; I'm telling you two-"

"Will you speak about it?" Jenny asked.

"Okay," Veronica said. "That was the night of 1rst of September, and I was coming into our dorm from the washrooms-"

"Where was I?" Jenny interjected.

"I don't remember, maybe in the washrooms. Anyway," Veronica continued. "I was just on the step of our dormitory door, when I heard them."

"Who them?" Sienna asked.

"McGonagall and Slughorn, confessing their love to each other!" Veronica said. "Charlotte Wormwood and Torien Gemini, who else?!"

"Okay, okay, carry on." Jenny said.

"They were whispering, but I still heard every word clearly that they were speaking." She paused, as if expecting one of them to pose the inevitable question.

"They were talking about David, weren't they?" Jenny asked, instead of 'What were they talking about?', a far-away hint of jealousy in her voice. Sienna glanced at her.

"Yes," Veronica said, irritated that Jenny had not asked the 'inevitable question'. "They had their backs to the door, and they were talking about him, in a way."

"In a-" Sienna began, but Veronica overrode her.

"Torien smiled and said, 'I know it,'. Then Charlotte hung her head, and whispered 'Yes, I like him.'. "

"But that doesn't prove anything," Sienna said, looking at Jenny, whose eyebrows were rising slowly. "She could be talking about anyone!"

"Yes, until Torien asked her the question." Veronica said, waiting for them or one of them to ask the now inevitable question.

"What question?" Jenny asked immediately. Veronica frowned again, for she had again not got 'What did she ask?', the now inevitable question.

"Does he know?" She repeated in a bored voice what she had heard that night. "David?"

Jenny's eyebrows shot up. Sienna started again. "This still doesn't prove anything!" She said to Veronica. "Maybe, maybe David had asked her one day, just like that-"

"You don't ask stuff like this just like that!" Veronica said. "Trust me, I know. Anthony had also asked me the same question!"

"You can not deny this!" Jenny said. "This directly means what it means! There's no other reason why Torien would take his name unless they were talking about him!"

Sienna pursed her lips. Then, she spoke again. "Why didn't you tell us then?" She said to Veronica. "Why are you telling us now?"

"Oh, you know how I was in those days!" Veronica said, pulling a plate of kippers towards her indignantly. "I just remembered this a few days back and I mentioned it to Jenny immediately!"

Jenny's mouth was shut. Sienna looked at her. "Don't you worry." She said.

"Why should I worry?" Jenny snapped back. Sienna smiled a small smile in return.

Veronica opened her mouth, probably to pass some comment on her, when Anthony's voice sounded.

"What are you doing?" He asked Veronica.

"Eating?" She said, in a tone that reminded Jenny of Regulus Black, her eyes immediately rose from her glass of pumpkin juice to look for him at the Slytherin table. He was not there.

"Get up." Anthony ordered Veronica.

"Why?" She asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Get up," He repeated, making her stand up by her arm. "We can eat together at our table."

Sienna's eyes followed them to Ravenclaw table, branded as 'Our Table' by Anthony. She turned towards Jenny, who was staring in the direction of the Slytherin house table. "Are you going to eat or not?" She asked, looking at the untouched toast on the plate infront of her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Samantha?" Professor Biddler the arithmancy teacher, called out.

"Samantha!" Charlotte whispered urgently, trying to bring Jenny back in the lesson.

"Sam-an-tha!" Professor Biddler sang. Jenny jerked her head at his voice.

"Why are you singing?" She asked abruptly.

The whole class laughed, with the exception of Biddler, who looked a little insulted.

"Just to catch your attention," He continued pleasantly. "Would you mind telling us what particular lunar propositional symbols of sleep were you pondering over?"

The class laughed louder. Karl Beryl, who had been day-dreaming like Jenny (That's an achievement for her!) jerked out of his trance, and looked around confusedly.

"Er," Jenny said.

"Never mind!" He said. "This too will help you, in the coming chapter about lunar propositional symbols! Especially the sleep ones!"

The class laughed again.

"What happened to you?" Charlotte asked as Biddler started reading his notes aloud. "Biddy called three times."

Most of the children called Professor Biddler by the nick-name of 'Biddy'. He was extremely popular among the kids.

Jenny did not answer. It had felt strange, sitting with Charlotte today. Jenny had kept thinking about David, and the girl sitting next to her. This should've become obvious to her by now, that Charlotte liked David; she should've noticed certain habits or particular behavior that girls do when around the boy they like. But Ofcourse, Charlotte had taken every step to not let anyone know, except the day when she was overheard by Veronica. And Torien! That half-wit temperamental girl had guessed it right, and Jenny, the one whom should be concerned with everything concerning David, did not even get a whiff- Wait, did she just classify herself as the girl who should be concerned with everything concerning David?!

Jenny blushed. Next to her, Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

Where is all this going? Does she also like David? Does she? No. A voice said in her head. No? Then why had she gotten all jealous and cranked up in the morning when Veronica told her about Charlotte liking David?

A crease appeared on Jenny's forehead.

This is so confusing! Such matters are confusing only when they concern _her_, not when they concern someone else. Like since the very first time she saw Aditi Dewan entering the library with Regulus, Jenny could tell that she liked Regulus a lot. She was discreetly very elated to be around him, her beaming eyes had told her. And when Jenny had looked at Aditi, and then smiled at Regulus, she had caught a look in his eyes, a look that had said 'I know it.' That second she had been caught off-guard by his eyes, surprised as if he had, without uttering a single syllable, told her that she isn't the only one who could read and tell what the eyes mean.

"Now, Samantha, we can't have that!" Biddler's voice sailed across the room. "I can not have the best arithmatician dreaming of NeverLand!"

Even though she didn't know what he implied by 'NeverLand', irritation streaked in her, accumulated from all the times he had called her 'The Best Arithmatician', getting her some ridiculing stares or comments from the Slytherins.

"I'm not 'The Best Arithmatician'!" She snapped.

There was a very awkward pause in the class as everyone stopped and stared at Jenny. And while Jenny's face grew hot and she felt like banging her head on the desk, Biddler stared at her, his eyes transfixed at her face, as if in disbelief.

"Ofcourse," He said a moment later, trying to bring his voice back to his pleasant self. "Ofcourse." He repeated, as if he had just solved a puzzle with the bit of logic that he had completely overlooked. "Modesty comes along the package." He said, as if referring to a scheme at the local WalMart where they could get a bag of paper tissues free with a tube of daily night cream.

The bell rang shrilly, and loudly, startling all of them, except Biddler. He waved his wand once and his books soared into his arms. He left the classroom without another word.

Jenny could feel the eyes of her classmates as they got up, leaving the class in groups, most of them staring at her. Trying to ignore the eyes, she started stuffing her bag with her books. As she got up, she heard a hufflepuff ask another, "Was she sleepy?"

She swung her bag over her shoulder, eager to leave, when she heard a soft voice call out her name.

"Samantha," Charlotte said. Jenny turned towards her.

"Yes, Charlotte?"

"Sit down." She said as an answer, pointing at the same chair from which she had got up. Jenny didn't.

"I really have to hurry." She said.

Charlotte stared at her. Jenny sighed and sat down.

"What?"

"You know, don't you?" She said immediately, without further saying anything about what she was talking.

But Jenny didn't need to know what she was asking about. She looked into Sienna's clear honey-brown eyes, which showed no emotion that she could guess.

"So?" Jenny said.

Charlotte blinked.

"I want to tell you…." She said, and then did not speak as if still not sure what she wanted to tell her.

"It's just……"

"I know," Jenny said. "And I don't care."

A look of hurt crossed in those honey-brown eyes. Jenny hastened to speak.

"I meant-"

"I understand." Charlotte said. Jenny closed her mouth.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Then almost together, they got up, and left the class together, without another word to each other.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"How's Weeny?" Jenny asked Regulus as he drew a chair for her.

"Silent," He said, putting his bag on the table and sitting down.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Well?" Jenny said.

"Well what?" He asked.

"Have you prepared the complimentary essay of the assignment?" Jenny asked.

Regulus groaned. "Sprout hasn't asked for an essay."

"Yes, but she has written bonus points for use of complementation." Jenny said, reminding him the exact words.

"I still think that she wants a compliment from me." Regulus said, pulling his droopy, pitch mud stained collars up importantly as Jenny smiled. "I'm telling you, this scheme of yours is going to disappoint her."

"You can really get those bonus points for your house, an extra research essay would really impress Spr-Professor Sprout. And from the last time I saw your house points, Slytherin really needs it." Jenny said.

"Never mind that, we'll catch up by winning this Quidditch tournament," He said, getting up. "And anyways, if I'll do it once she'll expect me to do it again."

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked.

"Just going to get a book that I wanted to show you," He said, and left.

Jenny stared after him. He was so different. From his brother. He was so annoying, and sometimes idiotic, but he, Regulus, was none of that. Proper was the perfect word to describe him. He was everything that Sirius wasn't. Though both the brothers were handsome, resembling each other in features, they both had the same, elegant nose, that handsomeness, the same eye color…….

"Strange thing, no?" A voice sounded suddenly. An angry, possessive voice, with the same hint of bordering edginess that Jenny had heard in it before. "That sometimes, those who call you their friends, don't even tell you some things."

Jenny turned to see David standing at the end of the aisle of books on her right, his eyes hardened, a look of pure anger on his face. She was stunned for a moment to see him there, in such a way. Then she hastened to speak as he opened his mouth again.

"David!" She said, trying to not take the way he meant his words. "Hi! What a-"

"Does it take too much of an effort to inform me?" He asked, cutting over her. "To tell me anything, no, _something_ like this?" He asked.

Jenny paled. He was staring at her. She got up immediately as he put his foot forward.

"Why, do you it again and again?" He asked, striding walking forwards. "What is the need?"

She gulped.

"Is this your way of making fun of me?" He asked. "Is this the way you like to mock me?"

"David! Why would I-" She began, but David again cut across her.

"Lets show David what I think of him!" He hissed, the distance between them getting smaller. "The best way to shut him up forever!"

"David!" Jenny said, her hands at her back, tightly holding the wood of the chair behind her. "I would never-you know-….I will never do that!"

"Then," He said, the distance between them less than an arm's. "why have I found you here, in _this_ part of the library, _with_ that him?"

Jenny's legs were feeling like lead. Technically, Regulus wasn't there when David had arrived, and neither had David 'found' them. But speaking all this to David looked dangerous right now.

"I-he, we…"

David stared at her.

"I'm just helping him in his herbology assignment!" She said finally.

"Why you?" He asked immediately. "Why not someone else?"

Till David had not asked it, Jenny had not thought about it. Suddenly, it seemed like a pretty good question.

"I-" She faltered, not finding an answer. David still stared at her, his eyes still hard.

He leaned forwards, and put his hands at her arms, just like the day he had done in _Papyrus_ that day. Jenny suddenly had the strange feeling to chuckle at the presence of books around them, and complete silence.

"Do you know what I want to do now?"

Jenny could not even shake her head.

...

Finally, some scene that guarantees that if you give me enough reviews and participate in the poll that I have put up on my profile, you may get to see the bigger picture! So, till the next chapter which is only ten reviews away, Toodles!


	29. Chapter 29

**INVITATION**

"So, have you two decided that you're going home this Christmas?" Sienna asked as they walked to Potions together.

"I'm not going." Veronica said.

"But you were going." Jenny said.

"Yeah, but all this homework?" She asked, shrugging her shoulders. "I won't be able to do it without the library's help."

"What about you?" Sienna asked Jenny. "I'm staying." She said.

"Wonderful." Sienna said. "We'll all be together for Christmas then."

As Sienna and Jenny sat down together on the Gryffindor table, (Veronica joined Anthony at Ravenclaw table) Sirius Black turned to them, whom they were sitting across.

"Hello," He said.

"Hello," Sienna answered politely.

"We're throwing a small party," He said, giving her a pale blue pamphlet kind of invitation. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Sienna repeated, looking at the invitation. "But there's Slughorn's party too-"

"I'm sure you'll manage." James Potter also joined in, arriving at the table with Remus Lupin. "We want all our friends there at the party and beautiful girls too." He added, looking at Jenny. Sienna smiled and went back to her plate as the boys shifted their attention to a prefect friend of theirs who had just joined the table. Jenny turned to Sienna furiously.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Why?" Sienna asked, surprised at her anger. "What happened?"

"What happened?" She repeated. "Why, d'you have a short term memory? Don't you know what just happened?"

"What, you mean what just James said?" Sienna asked.

"James! So you're on first name basis with him now, are you?" Jenny asked.

"I've always been on first name basis with him." Sienna said. "But what happened to you?"

"What happened to me? What happened to you? He just said he wants beautiful girls at his party and you smiled at him!"

Sienna looked at her in confusion. "But he looked at you too, Jenny."

Jenny rolled her eyes in irritation. "This isn't about me." She said. "This is about why you smiled at his compliment!"

Sienna stared at her in surprise. "The way you're speaking," She said. "It makes me think that you're jealous of me because of my interaction with James Potter."

"What!" Jenny exclaimed, and then laughed, imagining herself getting a crush on James Potter. She, sitting at the Gryffindor table as usual, staring at James Potter, feeling butterflies in her stomach if he looked at her or if he happened to talk to her, then she saw David sitting nearby, trying to catch her attention, and now looking at James Potter with a familiar look of loathing. Her laughter stopped as soon as David entered her imagination. Where did he come from? She was just thinking about James Potter, then how come David came into focus, behaving his usual behaviour?

Just then, David actually arrived at the table.

"Goodmorning." He said, taking the seat opposite Jenny.

"Wow," Jenny blurted. "I was just thinking about you."

This did not have the effect she wanted. Infact, she'd said it just like that, without thinking or meaning anything, but David had frozen in surprise.

"Really?" He asked a moment later. And in that moment, Jenny realised her mistake, she shouldn't've said that without thinking.

"Er, yeah." She said.

David's eyes had suppressed glee. He smiled, but before he could open his mouth and ask her anything, Timothy arrived at the table.

"Goodmorning." He said happily, sitting down beside David.

"What happened to you?" Jenny asked immediately, taking advantage of the diversion.

"What d'you mean?" He asked.

"What are you so happy about?" She rephrased the question.

Timothy smiled. "Well, it's a nice day, and I just received my Christmas present,"

"From your mother?" Sienna asked. When Timothy nodded, smiling, she gasped. "Does that mean you're staying for Christmas?" David asked.

"Yes," Timothy said happily, pouring himself pumpkin juice.

"Good!" David exclaimed. "I'm staying too!"

"What about Torien?" Sienna asked.

"She too." Timothy answered. "Why d'you ask?"

"Just like that." But Jenny knew why she had asked, she was thinking about Veronica who was going to stay for Christmas. That would make Veronica's Christmas.

Later in Muggle studies, when they were noting down their holiday homework, Jenny asked Sienna. "Are you going to James Potter's party?"

Sienna looked at her. "I'll have to, Tim's going."

"Tim's going? What if only you were invited, then would you've gone?" Jenny asked.

Sienna's lips twitched once in irritation. "Jenny, that invitation was for Tim." She said, her voice controlled but still sounding irritated. "James was just giving it to me, he knows Tim and I are dating, because I practically spend all my evenings with the marauders, and David and a few other boys. We all sit together in the common room. So it doesn't matter if I'm invited or Tim, we'll go anyway."

Jenny tried to smile. "O-kay." She said, trying to lighten the tension. "I got it."

Sienna turned to her again. "And you're also going to get invited to this party." Jenny opened her mouth but Sienna cut across her. "David's going to ask you, I'm sure of it."

This shut Jenny up.

"And I'd like it if you'd say yes." Sienna continued.

"Why?" Jenny asked sharply. Sienna looked at her as if she had asked a stupid question.

"Jenny, he needs support." She said. "I see him trying to study every evening but Tim says he keeps doodling all the time."

"So that's why I should go to the party with him, to make him stop doodling?" Jenny asked.

Sienna frowned at her. "Jenny," She said. "he keeps writing your name."

"My name?" Jenny repeated. "Yes," Sienna said. "He keeps writing Samantha, Sam, Sammy, SJ, and even-Tim saw it while checking his notes-Mrs. Samantha Abbot."

Jenny blushed red, cursing David inwardly.

"Mrs. Samantha Abbot." Sienna repeated. "Only girls do this type of thing, imagining themselves married, and if he's doing that with your name, then he really, really likes you, Jenny."

"What about me?" Jenny asked, speaking through her embarrassment. "Do you even know whether I like him or not?" She blushed deeper as she said these words.

"I'm not blind.' Sienna said. "I'm saying this to you only because I know you like him too, but you don't accept it. What are you waiting for, Judgement Day?"

Jenny looked away, not knowing what to say. Sienna waited for her to speak. Finally, "What can _I_ do about it?" Jenny asked.

"What you can do is," Sienna whispered, going back to writing her homework, because Professor Marchbanks had noticed them talking and was now staring at them pointedly. "that you can help him focus."

"By going to Potter's party with him?" Jenny asked incredulously. "That's how I should help?"

"Yes, it will help;" Sienna said. "he'll stop dreaming about you, atleast."

Jenny's jaw dropped. Sienna clamped a hand at her mouth with a gasp.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Samantha! Are you listening to me?"

Jenny jerked out of her trance. She was in the library. Sunrays of the dying sun were falling on her face through the window, making her sleepy. And Regulus was sitting infront of her with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Can you hear me now?" he asked hotly, his nose a little red.

"Yes." She said, looking at his nose and wondering whether he had cold. But no, that would be obvious from his voice…..

Regulus saw the wondering expression in her eyes again and stood up angrily. "If you don't want to help me with this, then fine!" He snapped, shutting the books and scooping them up in his arms. "You could've just said it!"

"No!" Jenny exclaimed. "No, no, Regulus its nothing like that!" But Regulus had already stood up and was leaving, striding away from their table. Jenny stood up too, scraping her chair noisily, hurrying to reach him before he left. She ran, covering the ten steps that he had just covered in three strides. And just before he left the vicinity of the book shelves around them, the golden chandelier that hung over Madam Pince's desk, light up at the flick of her wand, and Jenny confronted him, stopping him as the golden light flooded the library.

"Stop," she said. "Its nothing like that, lets go back, I want to help you-"

"But you weren't!" He said hotly. "You were just sitting there, lost!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired-" It was a lie, she had been thinking about David. Why did he like her so much when no other boy did? She had been pondering over the consequences of her saying yes to David for Potter's party when Regulus interrupted.

And he too didn't buy her story. "You were lost, thinking about something!" He said. "You didn't even listen to me till I shouted at you! Listen, if you don't want to help me, its okay, I'll not mind-"

"No!" Jenny said again. "I want to help you! Its nothing like that! I promise I won't do it again, and, and I'm sorry!"

Regulus opened his mouth again but Jenny spoke before him, stopping his speech.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry!"

There was a moment's pause. Then Regulus opened his mouth, and again Jenny spoke before him. "I really, really want to help you, David, its nothing like-"

And then she blushed. Regulus stared at her, as she blushed deeper and then trying to control it, snapped right back, as if there had been no interruption.

"I really, really want to help you, Regulus."

He stared at her in response. Then he opened his mouth.

"You were thinking about him, right?" he asked, the anger gone from his voice.

"What?" Jenny asked.

"You were thinking about this David, weren't you?" He repeated, making her blush again. "That's why you weren't able to concentrate, right?"

Jenny's cheeks became redder and she started feeling hot in the cheeks.

"I'd take that as a yes." He muttered. They kept standing there for a few moments, Regulus looking at Jenny, and Jenny getting redder and redder involuntary, even as she tried not to.

"So," he said after a few moments. "I think I should go, its getting late."

Jenny looked up and opened her mouth. "Stop saying sorry." He said, guessing right what she was going to say. "It happens. I was, just, annoyed at you, I had thought you didn't-" He trailed away, and Jenny spoke.

"Lets meet tomorrow again. I promise I'll help you complete your assignment."

"Just a little bit left." He said, his eyes on his notes that he had rolled up while getting his things. "I'll complete it at home. I think I have made enough notes."

"You're going home for Christmas?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I always go." Then he turned towards their table and pointed at it with his hands, asking her to pick up her things. "Are you staying?"

"No." Jenny said, moving at once. "But all my friends are staying. I wish I could."

He watched her as she picked up the books, crammed her inkpot in her bag.

"He's you friend?" He asked abruptly.

Jenny's hands stopped. She knew who he was talking about.

"David," He repeated. "Is he your friend?"

"Yes," she answered, blushing involuntary again. Damn it, stop blushing! She scolded herself.

Regulus did not ask another question. He waited for her till she had picked everything up, and then together, they walked over to Madam Pince's desk.

Madam Pince turned her nose at Jenny as she kept the books in her hands at the counter.

"I want to issue all these." She said.

"These are seven books." Madam Pince said, looking at her as if she was mad. "You want all of them?"

"Yes."

She looked as if she was thinking of a way to refuse Jenny. "Let me check your record." She said, finally finding one. "I'll have to see if you have any book issued in your name that you've not returned."

Jenny turned away from the desk as Madam Pince shuffled behind her back, opening drawers soundlessly.

"You'll be going to Slughorn's party, right?" Regulus asked.

"Yes." Jenny said, remembering.

"I mean, you don't have any other plans, like some other party, just-just Slughorn's party, right?" He asked again.

Jenny stared at him. "Maybe." She said. "I think my friends have some plans…"

He nodded, and then looked at his watch.

"Oh, I'll have to go. I have to meet my friends." He said and looked up.

"Okay, bye then." Jenny said.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

She looked after him as he turned the golden knob of the wooden door of the library, clicking it shut without looking back, wondering what he must be thinking of her.

"Are you 'Jones, Samantha'?" Madam Pince asked. Jenny turned to her. "Yes ma'am."

She pushed the books towards her, snapping a register shut.

"Take them." She said, sounding disappointed that Jenny's record was clear. "And mind you, I want them tip-top after holidays, and don't lose any of them!"

........................................................................................................................

Hey Guys! Sorry for the looooooooooooong silnence. I'm really sorry, but i had met with an accident which broke the right side of my shoulder. I had been home since six months, (even though i go to a residential school) unable to move my right hand, and thus, unable to write. The last three months i had been busy studying as i had to catch up with my school work. And now, that i've no worries, I'm finally updating! Please review and make my day. I would really like to know what you think of my writing.


	30. Chapter 30

**THE PARTY**

I wish I could go too. Veronica said, looking wistful as Jenny combed her open hair.

I honestly think that Anthonys being stupid. Jenny said, picking up a clip from her bed. I mean, just because Potters in an opposite team, doesnt mean that Anthony has to act to stupid, its just a Christmas party, for Merlins sake!

"Never mind that, but why are you not staying for christmas?" Veronica asked. Jenny felt like she was trying to change the topic. "I owled her, saying that I wanted to stay at Hogwarts for christmas, but she sent a note that I can't."

"That's it. I mean, no- no reason as to why she was saying that?"

"Nope."

There was silence for a few minutes as Jenny fixed the clip in her hair and looked back to see the effect in the mirror.

Its looking nice. Veronica said. Are you going to Slughorns party too?

Yeah. Were going to wait for Timothy and Sienna in the Great hall and then well go together to Slughorns office.

How will you manage two parties?

Ill make an appearance. And if Potters party isnt good enough, Jenny grimaced. Ill just come and get some sleep.

So Ill see you at Slughorns atleast. Veronica said in a sulking voice. She was not feeling exactly cheerful about being all alone at Slughorns party with Anthony and his Slug club friends while all her friends partied together without her.

Maybe I can ask David to invite you as well. Jenny said turning to her.

Anthony will feel bad if I left him alone. And Davids not going to ask him too, right?

Jenny stooped and pulled her dragon hide boots from under her bed.

Whyre you wearing dragon hide boots? Veronica asked. Youre not wearing them because of Potters party, are you?

No stupid, Im wearing them because I dont want to embarrass myself infront of Mathew Smythwick.

That designer? Veronica said. I didnt know he was coming.

When are you going to leave? Jenny asked, standing up and smoothing her robes.

Late, probably.

As Jenny headed for the dormitory door, Veronica said, Goodluck with David., making her stomach clench in anticipation.

As she approached the double doors of the great hall, one of them opened and Sienna stepped out. She was wearing the same white gown which she had worn at Veronicas mums wedding. And over it, a matching see-through robe in white, similar in style.

Hi, She said.

Arent you freezing? Jenny asked, looking at her thin see-through material of the gown.

No. Sienna said, smiling. Im warm, probably more than you. Ive used a warmth-binding charm on this gown.

Jenny stared at her.

_Aduro Estivus_. Sienna said, smiling more at Jennys bewildered expression. Its the charm to carry an aura of heat around you that keeps you warm. People use it while traveling on broomsticks.

I never heard about this. Jenny said, wondering why she hadnt.

Thats because people dont usually take those means of travels that will cause them discomfort. Sienna said, opening the door for Jenny. So people dont know abut this preventive method too. But this charm is very popular in the schools of the arctic region; they use it on a regular basis in the winters.

You read all this in a book, right? Jenny asked, guessing correctly her source.

Sienna smiled. _Simple & Fantastic: Hundred Ways To Charm Your Life_

Jenny added a mental note to herself to check it out soon. There were not many people in the Great hall, a few on the hufflepuff table and the same large group of last night was sitting in the starting of Ravenclaw table, laughing again, and looking like they had sat there the whole night. The only difference was in their dresses, they were all wearing dress robes, some of the girls were dressed as if for a wedding.

They reached Timothy, who was sitting on the end of Gryffindor table, wearing black and white formal dress robes. He smiled lazily at Jenny as she sat down beside him.

Looking good. He said. David will forget to breath.

Shut up, Tim. Jenny said, going red.

Veronica would be with Anthony at Slughorns party, right? Sienna asked, sitting down beside Jenny.

Yeah, she didnt get invited for Potters party. Jenny said. Just then, the door opened and David hurried in, wearing robes similar to Tims.

Hey, David! Tim called.

Hi, He answered with his eyes on Jenny. He kept staring at her till he reached the table.

Hi, he said. She smiled at him in return.

Youre looking good, He said.

Jenny smiled again. Then he looked at Sienna, who was smiling at them and said, as if to not let her feel left out or neglected, Youre looking good too, Sienna.

Sienna laughed. Looking good was nothing, Sienna was looking stunning. But as soon as he had spoken, David turned his eyes back to Jenny, and sat down beside her, making Tim scoot over, smiling at her again.

Thanks, David. Sienna said, her laugh visible in her voice.

Should we move? Tim asked, looking at his watch.

Yeah, lets go. David jumped up immediately and put out his hand to Jenny. She took it, smiling at him despite her nervousness. The group at Gryffindor table had stood up too and was now making its way to the double doors. As they passed Sienna, the girls in the large group stared at her, their expression stupefied. Jenny noticed a few boys staring, too. The people were staring because of Siennas dress, maybe because of its thinness, or its difference than normal robes, or because she looked simply stunning.

Tim had also noticed the stares. He got up, and taking her elbow in his hand, marched her to the door. Jenny saw Sienna smirking as she led herself away by Tim. David looked at Jenny expectantly, as if waiting for her word to move. She smiled at him, and set her foot forward.

Slughorns office was looking superb. The whole place was draped in golden, the carpets, the sofas, the chairs, even the ceiling and the walls, they were all a beautiful color of gold, matched with the pink and mauve flowers present in the room in various pastel vases. The room which looked larger than Slughorns usual size of the office, smelled of jasmine. Slow jazz was playing from a gramophone in a corner. Jenny wondered had Slughorn done all this just because Mathew Smythwick, because the room had never been painted or perfumed on any other Christmas party that Jenny had attended before.

Slughorn was standing inside the door, wearing velvet robes in rich green embroidered in gold, waiting to welcome the invitee. He smiled at Jenny and then his smile widened with a surprise while looking at David, noticing they were holding hands. Jenny hastily withdrew her hand from Davids. But Slughorns surprise was nothing as compared to how he reacted to Sienna.

Oh my! He said, looking at her from top to toe. You are looking wonderful, Ms, er-

Dearlove. Tim said, sounding angry. Sienna Dearlove.

Slughorn looked at him in amazement as Sienna hurried forward, taking Tim with her.

Have you gone mad? She said, as soon as they were out of Slughorns earshot. Why did you speak like that?

Im leaving the Slug club. He said in reply. Its just a club of hypocrites.

Tim! Sienna said.

I dont like it, okay? He said. I dont like that he teaches you, but he still doesnt know your name. Three years, and he hadnt noticed you till now.

Never mind, Tim. Sienna said, taking his hand in hers. He knows me now. And it really doesnt matter if he ever knows my name or not, I dont want to be in the Slug club.

Im going to leave it. Tim said doggedly. I swear, Im going to do that.

Sienna looked at David for help, he spoke at once. Come on, Tim lets go and meet Harper there, look, hes beckoning at us.

As David led Tim towards a corner of the room where one of their friends stood, Sienna turned to Jenny.

Why is _he_ getting so touchy? She said. Jenny shrugged.

Mathew Smythwick turned out to be exactly opposite of what Jenny had thought he would be. He arrived with his own group of five, four of them women, all of them wearing casual robes in a mixture of pastel shades and earthy colors, making all the fanfare seem pointless.

Jenny felt stupid, standing there decked up in her showy robes when the fashion designer himself had come dressed sloppily. Atleast he seemed sloppily dressed when he entered the party, but soon the situation altered as people started to feel stupid infront of him to have bothered so much. He was standing there, drinking from a goblet, apparently at ease, and spoke to Slughorn in quiet tones. They laughed a lot, and soon Slughorn was looking around for his favorite students to introduce them to him. The head girl, Jenny saw, appeared immediately, her smile fixed on Smythwick.

Hi, Lily joined them.

Hi. Sienna and Jenny said together.

We all look like were here for some Yule Ball or something. She said, running a hand over her dress.

Except Mathew Smythwick and his friends. Jenny said.

Lily picked up a butterbeer from the tray of a passing elf.

You are here with Timothy Gemini, right? She asked Sienna. She nodded, picking up a butterbeer herself.

And whom did you bring? Lily asked Jenny suspiciously. Jenny blushed before answering.

David Abbot.

Lily looked surprised. The one in my year? She asked. When Jenny nodded, she smiled. Thats good, She said, drinking more butterbeer. I thought youd be here with- But she caught herself, her eyes going wide.

With? Jenny probed.

No one. She said, drinking butterbeer.

Jenny opened her mouth again, but just then Slughorn called out- Samantha, dear! Can I have you here, please? And you too, Ms Dearlove.

Sienna kept down the bottle of butterbeer in her hand on a table and turned Jenny towards Slughorn.

Here she is! Slughorn boomed, pointing a hand at Jenny as she approached with Sienna. The girl I told you about, Mat. Isnt she a beauty? And, ofcourse, her friend Ms Dearlove too!

Mathew Smythwick looked more interested in Siennas dress than meeting Jenny or Sienna.

Nice dress, He commented, looking at it. Whos the designer?

Sienna looked flattered. This isnt a designer dress, She said, smiling at him. This is a muggle creation.

Oh, Smythwick said, keeping the drink in his hand down on a tray offered to him by an elf. I suppose youre using a warmth bind on this, then? He asked.

As Sienna nodded, Slughorn exclaimed. You know about this charm? Did you do it? But it is difficult to perform by a third year. Did you do this with some help?

He asked this while looking at Jenny, as if asking whether she helped her.

When Sienna did not answer to that, Jenny did. No, she did it all by herself.

Slughorn looked surprised, which was not flattering. Before he could speak anything to lessen the embarrassment, Smythwick spoke.

From where did you buy this dress, then? He was still on the dress.

I did not buy this. Sienna answered. It was my mothers.

Jenny looked at her, startled. Sienna had not mentioned this before.

I think I know her. Smythwick said, putting his fingertips to his temples. Your mother, I mean. What was your name again?

Sienna laughed. You dont know my mother, Mr. Smythwick. That is because she was a muggle, and she died thirteen years ago.

Smythwicks hands dropped from his temples. Oh. He said. Then he picked up another drink from a passing elf. Im sorry about that. He added before taking a sip from the glass. Ahh, He exclaimed suddenly, after taking a sip of the drink, turning to Slughorn. You got Malmsey for me, Slughorn!

I know your love for the wine, Mat. Slughorn said affectionately.

I told him. The head girl, who, until now, had been standing quiet, giving Jenny and Sienna -who had entered her conversation with Smythwick and changed the direction of conversation- glares of indignation, spoke in a shrill, Im-your-biggest-fan voice.

Good. Smythwick said, shaking his head. People dont know my likes; they serve all those nonsense drinks.

Sienna looked like she was trying hard not to roll her eyes. Jenny quirked her eyebrows at her, and unnoticed by the three of them, they started to move.

And, oh,-what was your name? Smythwick asked suddenly, turning to Sienna.

Sienna Dearlove. She said.

Yeah, he said, and reached into his pocket for something. So, Sienna Dearlove, if you ever want to try your hand in the world of fashion, just tap your wand. He handed her a bright pink rectangular piece of hard paper. It was blank.

And one for you too, he said, giving Jenny another bright pink rectangular piece of hard paper. I can see you have potential- He stopped suddenly, his fingers giving her the paper.

I think I know you. He said.

Jenny shook her head. You know my mother. She said. She is an auror.

Fiona, Mat, Slughorn said affectionately. Fiona Jones, the famous auror, surely you know her?

Oh! Smythwick exclaimed. Yes, yes! She was the head girl in my time. And then he hesitated, as if considering not giving the pink rectangular paper to her. Give her my wishes for Christmas. He said, smiling warmly at Jenny for the first time, and giving her the paper. And have a good Christmas.

You too. Jenny said, returning his smile.

They turned away immediately, hurrying before Slughorn could speak again.

What was taking you two so long? Tim demanded as soon as they reached their corner.

He just wont let go, Sienna said, picking up a pasty from a passing elf. Im starving.

Were not eating here. Tim snatched the pasty from her hands and kept it back on the tray and ushered the anxious looking elf away. You made the appearance, Jenny, now lets go.

They stared at him. What? He asked.

You just called her Jenny. David said, explaining the stares.

So? Tim turned to Jenny. You dont like it? Never mind, Im still going to call you Jenny.

I dont have any problem. Jenny smiled at him. You can call me whatever you like.

Okay. Can we move now? Tim asked impatiently.

Im thirsty. Sienna said, picking up a butterbeer. And Im not going anywhere till Im satiated.

Come off it, Sienna! Tim said impatiently. Well have butterbeer at the marauders party!

But Sienna just kept on drinking, ignoring his anger. Tim sank down on a sofa they were standing near to, face going red while controlling the temper.

Five minutes. Jenny said to Tim, but meaning to Sienna.

Here, you drink this meanwhile. David picked up a glass from an elf and put it to Tims lips, to stop him from speaking further as he opened his mouth after Jenny.

As soon as he drank, he spit it out and stood up, coughing.

What _is_ this sick sweet thing? He demanded, wiping away the drink that had slopped down his chin.

Malmsey. Jenny answered, looking at the drink.

Enough. Tim kept the glass down so loudly that quite a few people turned to stare. Im leaving this party. You can stay if you want! He added to Sienna, who was still drinking and watching him coolly. Come on, David, lets go!

David did not move, hesitating, while looking at Jenny.

Fine! Tim snapped. You can all stay! Im going alone!

Tim! Jenny and David said as he moved away, making his way through the crowd.

Never mind, well follow. Sienna said, keeping the bottle of butterbeer down.

You know the way, I think? She asked David.

Yeah, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the pale blue invitation. The directions are right here.

Good. Sienna said, following Tim out of the door.

Jenny found the Marauders party surprisingly good. There was a lot of noise mainly, and a lot of bottles of butterbeer being passed around by hand. The food was mixture of cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, and food from the Hogwarts kitchen. The most amazing thing was that Jenny had never seen the place they were holding the party in. It was large, almost like a hall, and it had a huge gramophone on the centre table, surrounded by food, and blaring the latest Celestina hits. It looked like the whole of Gryffindor was there, and there were not much people of other houses. There was no one from Slytherin.

Jenny felt awkward, standing there in her best dress while people around her were dressed so casually. People stared at Sienna more than they stared at Jenny. Soon, there was a huge platoon of boys staring at Sienna and Jenny who stood out from the crowd.

Dont they have anything else to do? Tim said angrily, glaring at them. The staring boys were starting to get on his nerves.

Maybe we should ask James, its his party, hell do something. David suggested.

No, Tim said, speaking through gritted teeth now. Lets go upto that black haired over there and give him a punch.

Oh come on, Tim. Sienna said. Stop being ridiculous. Let them stare, its not like theyre hurting anybody.

Listen, I dont like anybody staring at you-

Hey, James! David called suddenly, spotting him. James was walking with Lily, who looked like she was ignoring him. He put up a finger at David, and then started speaking to Lily again, who rolled her eyes. Lily turned, heading towards the door behind Jenny, and James followed. As they came close to them, it became audible what James was saying.

Come off it Evans, I know you like me too. He said.

You wish. She said, scoffing.

Just one date. He said, pouting his lips at her. Just one.

The pout had no effect on Lily. Instead, it seemed to have irritated her. Sod off, Potter. She said and left, leaving him behind. He looked after her, and then shrugging, joined the party again forgetting that David had called him.

I didnt know James Potter was interested in Lily. Jenny said, the moment he went away.

Interested is not the word. Sienna said, eating a pasty. Hes mad about her.

Since when? Jenny asked.

Since third year. David answered. And hes been asking her out since then. But Lily always says no. he grinned at Jenny suddenly. Tim rolled his eyes.

I want some water. Sienna said, looking around.

Its over there, Jenny pointed over the crowd. Come, Ill take you.

They reached the table with the glasses of water, and as Sienna picked up a glass and drank from it, while Jenny waited, she heard a voice say her name.

Samantha.

Jenny looked in the direction. It was Regulus.

Oh, hello. She said, smiling. I was wondering if Id see you here.

It is my brothers party. He smiled. I had to come.

Why werent you at Professor Slughorns party? Jenny asked.

I was there. I saw you. You were talking to Mathew Smythwick. And then you left.

Suddenly, someone cleared a throat and Jenny noticed the girl standing beside him, she recognized her as Aditi Dewan, a second year, another Slug Club member.

Oh yes. Regulus said. Surely, you must know each other.

Yes, Jenny said, smiling at Aditi. She smiled in return.

And, Regulus said, looking at Sienna, who had joined them. You , right?

Right. She said, smiling at him.

Suddenly, David appeared, his expression anxious. Whats taking so- His speech stopped as he noticed Regulus.

Um, David, Jenny hesitated. You know Regulus, I think?

Yes. David said stiffly, remembering his last meeting with Regulus.

Even though he had met him earlier, Regulus still pushed his hand towards David, staring into his eyes with an intense, unfathomable look. David, surprised or rather shocked at his action, shook his hand uncertainly, as if expecting current running in his hand. As they shook hands wordlessly, Jenny suddenly realized why Regulus was looking at David like that. He had recognized him as the one whom Jenny had been thinking about in the library. She blushed involuntary again. Sienna raised an eyebrow at her as Regulus turned from David to Jenny.

So, see you later, Samantha. He said, making it sound like a question.

Later. Jenny said with a smile, the blush still there in her cheeks.

Have a good Christmas. He said, shaking her hand.

You too.

As they were about to turn and leave, he said-This time I wont be so formal.

Id like that. Jenny said, smiling at him. Her eyes shifted to Aditi, and she was surprised. Aditi was looking at her with poorly disguised anxiety in her eyes, and with relief, too, as if she was relieved that the meeting with Jenny was over. But she didnt have much time to ponder over it as David asked immediately-

What was he talking about?

Huh? Jenny asked.

This time I wont be so formal. David repeated Regulus words. What was he talking about?

Oh, he was talking about his, his Christmas greeting. Jenny said.

Christmas greeting? David repeated suspiciously. What dyou mean?

His last Christmas card had been very formal, Jenny explained, ducking, as a chocolate frog flew over her head towards Peter Pettigrew. It hit him on the head. So he was just saying he wont be formal now.

They had reached the corner where Tim was. He was standing with James Potter, an unrecognized drink in his hand, and laughing.

You wont believe what he just told me. Tim said to David, laughing.

What? David asked immediately. As the boys started talking, Sienna turned to Jenny with a puzzled expression on her face.

Have you ever had some tiff with Aditi? She asked.

No. She answered, surprised. Sienna looked away, thoughtful. She was looking at you very strangely. She said. And then suddenly, she giggled. Sirius Black is looking at you. She murmured, looking away immediately.

Jenny stared at Sienna in shock.

What? She asked.

I said, Sirius Black is looking at you, no, hes coming towards you. Sienna added, looking behind her shoulder.

Why is he coming here? Jenny asked, looking back. Sirius Black was indeed coming towards her. Do you know why hes coming here? She asked Sienna.

Yes, because Ive fixed him a date with you! Sienna hissed. How would I know?

Should we move? Jenny asked, ignoring her sarcasm. I dont want to speak to him. I think he was drinking firewhisky.

Theres no firewhisky here, and no, we shouldnt move because then hell follow. And if he followed, it will grab peoples attention. Sienna said, picking up an unopened butterbeer bottle kept on the table beside them. And I dont want that. She said before pulling the cork out and pretending to take a sip.

"Excuse me?" A voice sounded. Jennys heart jumped. Had he heard what Sienna had said?

Sienna turned, and then her eyebrows rose in surprise. But the expression settled quickly as she moved back a step. A back appeared, and Jenny saw the back of Sirius Blacks head. But that was all. Sirius Black did not turn to her. Instead, he joined David and Tim in their conversation with James Potter.

When Sienna had thought that he was looking at me, he was not, Jenny thought. He was looking at his friends. He was not coming here to speak to me, he was coming here to join his friends.

She exhaled as Sienna came back in her original place.

"He never was looking at me." Jenny said, the unnecessary relief she felt shone in her voice.

I wouldnt be so sure. Sienna said, keeping down the bottle back on the table. Come on, lets leave.

..................................................................................................................................................

Thank You! I read the reviews, and you can not believe how relieved and thankful I was that there was atleast someone out there who read my stories and liked them. Thank you so much for reviewing!

And now once again, i would really like it if you would push that review button down there and let me know how you feel about my story.

Also, good question, Slyther! I had been hoping that one of my readers would ask this one day. But sorry, I can't tell you now. You'll get your answer in one of the following chapters.

So till the next chapter, toodles!


	31. Chapter 31

**AT HOME**

Jenny bid David goodnight and left for Ravenclaw tower. David seemed very intent on dropping her till their secret door to the tower, but Jenny declined. As she was exiting the stairs, a laugh sounded.

She checked the time. It was eleven thirty, this must be someone from Slughorns party, she thought.

The stairs behind her thudded as someone came. And then the thudding stopped.

Hell-lo, Samantha. A mocking and surprised voice sounded.

She turned. It was Bartemius Crouch. She turned back.

You seem to have remembered my name. She said.

When did I forget it? he asked, jumping down to the stair she was on.

Jenny did not answer.

I saw you at Slughorns par-ty. He said, in a childish and mocking tone.

So? Jenny said.

With a bo-oy. He said.

So? She repeated.

I know his na-ame. He said. David Abb-bot.

So? Jenny repeated again, now starting to get irritated.

Hes your boy-friend? He asked, in his sing-song voice.

No. Jenny answered immediately, almost too quickly, blushing.

O-kay. Crouch said. Then suddenly he spoke to her, his sing-song tone lost.

Will you go out with me, Samantha?

Jenny stopped in surprise. What? She gasped.

I said, will you go out with me, Samantha? He asked, smiling wickedly at her expression.

Jenny gaped at him. His grin widened.  
I want an answer. He said.

You know what the answer is. Jenny said, recovering.

Yes? Crouch asked, his eyebrows arching.

No! Jenny said, angrily resuming her walk down the stairs.

Why, am I not attractive enough? He said, resuming after her.

Barty, shut up, okay? Jenny said, hurrying her walk. He quickened his walk too.

Or do you have someone? He asked, his voice sounding excessively loud to Jenny.

I asked you to shut up, Barty! Jenny said.

They were climbing the stairs of the Ravenclaw tower.

Come on, answer! He said.

I said shut up! Jenny said angrily. The questioning door came into view. It was open, and Veronica was standing in the doorway.

Jenny, whats happening? She asked.

Nothing. Jenny said angrily and marched in. Veronicas eyebrows rose as she saw Crouch.

Come on, Veronica! Jenny said, immediately entering the girls dormitory.

I knew you were lying, Samantha! Crouch called after her.

What was he talking about? Veronica said, entering their dormitory after Jenny.

Nothing. Jenny said, plopping down on her bed angrily. As soon as she had done that, she jumped up.

What is this? She said, feeling her bed. Lumos!

A brown colored parcel was sitting on her bed. Another box-like parcel, smaller but wider sat next to it.

Its for you. Veronica said, joining her. From your mother.

Mumma? Jenny said, and immediately started opening it. Something red and blue shone in the light from her wand.

What is this? Jenny asked, picking it up. Veronica took her wand from her and flicked it at a candle. It came to life. She picked it up and inched closer to Jenny so that the candle light wouldnt fall on Charlotte or Torien.

Jenny, Veronica said, frowning at the dress in Jennys hands. Why has your mum sent you a jeans and a top?

This is a muggle dress? Jenny said, picking up the blue one.

Ofcourse. This is called jeans, and this, is, a..red sweater. Veronica said, recognizing the style. And this is a leather coat, and these are mittens and this is a muffler, I think you can see that.

Why is this sweater like this? Jenny asked, frowning at the zip in the front.

Thats the way it is. Veronica said. Why has your mother sent you a muggle dress?

But Jenny had seen an envelope lying under the clothes. She picked it up immediately, recognizing her mothers handwriting.

_Jenny,_ her mother had written, _this is for you. You are supposed to be wearing this when you get off from Hogwarts express. Willy and Tia will be there to receive you. Tia will take your luggage and give you new one, and then Willy would transport you to a muggle train that will soon arrive at Kings Cross Station, from where I would receive you with Daddy. You must be wondering why youre being made to do all this but dont ask any questions to Willy, Tia, or me or Daddy at the station. I will answer all the questions when we will reach home. We will be going home in a totally muggle fashion, i.e. in a car moving according to the beat of the traffic, so dont whine on the way home. All this is an act to be acted to perfection that is very important for me and my job. Dont mention this to anyone except whom you can trust like your close friends Veronica and Sienna. The dress would be a perfect fit; I have taken care to that. Try and wear some accessories with it, muggle accessories, I meant. The reason behind all this is that we want to make you look like a muggle teenage girl._

_Hope you like the dress._

_Love,_

_Mumma._

_(P. S.: Take Veronicas help in the dress if you dont know what goes where.)_

Yeah, Ill help you. Veronica said.

Jenny looked up. Veronica smiled sheepishly. She had been reading the letter upside down.

Sorry. She said, plopping down next to her. I saw my name with _close friends_ and I couldnt ignore it.

Never mind, I was about to tell you. Jenny said, folding the letter. These must be shoes, then. She said, reaching for the smaller package.

She was right about that. Her mother had sent her a pair of canvas shoes, black and white.

Why does you mother wants you to look like some muggle teenage girl? Veronica asked. Jenny shrugged. She says it is important for her job. She said, wondering what all this had to do with being an auror.

Youll be wearing these then? Veronica asked, getting up.

Ill wear them on the train. Jenny said, feeling uncomfortable already at the idea of wearing muggle clothing.

Ill help you, even though theres not much. Veronica said, yawning. But what was Barty Crouch saying? she asked, remembering.

Later, Veronica. Jenny said, extinguishing the candle with a flick of her wand. Goodnight.

The morning was, as usual, very chilly. Jenny felt tempted to stay in the bed longer than usual even though she had to leave early for the Hogwarts express. But she was woken roughly by Veronica who yelled at her to wake up, not bothering to keep her voice down for Torien and Charlotte, who were staying for Christmas and were in bed. As Jenny was taking a bath, she suddenly realized that in her group of friends, she was the only one not staying for Christmas. And that meant that she would be lonely on the train. She would have to share seats with strangers.

Why so grumpy? Veronica asked, taking in Jennys expression as she stared around at people in the Great Hall, dressed and ready to travel with their friends.

No ones going with me. Jenny said grumpily.

So youre thinking youll be alone? Veronica asked, reaching for a sandwich and biting into it. Jenny nodded.

Dont worry, youll find someone. Veronica said.

Jenny stared at her. What dyou mean youll find someone?

I mean youll be okay without us for a day. She said. It wont be so hard.

Yeah, you are not going to spend a whole day amongst strangers getting bored till your bones. Jenny snapped.

Veronica stopped eating. Its not my fault that you have to go when we all are staying.

Jenny did not speak. She picked up a sandwich and bit into it. She should not have snapped at Veronica, atleast she had got up early to see her off in this chill sacrificing a warm and cozy sleep.

Just then, Sienna slid down in the seat infront of Jenny, squeezing herself between two first years. Her open hair were ruffled, she was in a dressing gown.

Hi. She said, smiling at Jenny.

Hi. Jenny answered, perking up at her sight.

Youll be going alone. Sienna said, smiling more. Jenny grimaced, reaching for some coffee.

Here, I brought you this. Sienna said, giving her an inch thick book. Itll help you pass time.

_Simple_ _& Fantastic: Hundred Ways to Charm Your Lif_e_._ Veronica read.

Ive read it. Sienna said, pouring coffee into three mugs.

Thanks. Jenny said, opening it immediately.

Please Jenny, no reading, atleast not today. Veronica snapped the book shut.

Did you see the boys? Jenny asked. She said the boys but she meant David.

No, Sienna said, handing her her mug of coffee. They are all asleep.

Wonder why Lover boy David is not going with you. Veronica said, accepting her mug. I mean, why didnt he jump on this opportunity?

Jenny, red at the words lover boy for David, asked immediately. What opportunity?

The opportunity of spending a whole day with you. We are not around, She said, meaning herself, Sienna and Tim. There are no classes, no house barrier, no foul weather, and no homework to complete. A whole free day. But he still isnt down here.

Jenny blushed red again at the picture Veronica was drawing. Sienna changed the subject.

Speaking of homework, She said. How much have you completed, Jenny?

Potions and Transfiguration.

What? Veronica gasped. Dont tell me youve already completed potions!

Yeah, Ive completed it too. Sienna said. What about Defence?

Pixies left.

Pixies! Veronica gasped again, horrified. Honestly, you two, holidays have started today!

Thats exactly the point. Sienna said. Finish it early.

Just then, McGonagall entered the Great hall.

Those who are leaving, get up! she paused for a second, staring at a fifth year hufflepuff sitting infront of her, who was wearing a very strange looking woolen dress. The carriages are waiting!

If you want any book, owl me. Sienna said, getting up immediately.

And as soon as you are finished with the Defence homework, owl it to me. Veronica said, hugging Jenny goodbye. Jenny laughed and shook her head.

Wish your family for me. Sienna said, hugging Jenny. And you have a good Christmas.

You too. Both of you. Jenny smiled, before joining the throng forming of the students leaving for Christmas.

This is not so bad, Jenny thought as she pulled out a blanket from her trunk and covered her legs with it.

She was in the Hogwarts Express. It was four-thirty in the afternoon, and she was sitting alone in this compartment except for the seventh year girl infront of her seat. She was sleeping, her arm dangling down from a red colored quilt, swinging with the rhythm of the train. This compartment was in the last, near the toilets, because thats all Jenny could find quickly. This seventh year girl was so better than the first year Gryffindor boys who had perked up when they had seen her peep inside their compartment, asking her very eagerly to join them.

Jenny turned a page of the book Sienna had given her; it was a very good read.

Someone passed the compartment. That was the only irritating thing; people kept passing the compartment to go to the loo.

The figure came back a few minutes later and then crossed the compartment again. Then it came back.

Jenny looked up at the figure peering through the hazy glass door; a boy with pale skin, handsome eyes, black hair, it was probably someone for the girl. The shadow moved, and then the door slided open.

Hello. Regulus smiled at her.

Regulus. Jenny sat up straight. You noticed me?

Yeah, He said, stepping in and closing the door behind him. Sorry, its just, its very chilly outside. He said, explaining why he had entered the apartment and shut the door.

Never mind, here, um, have a seat. Jenny looked at the sleeping girl for a moment, and then folded her legs to make space for Regulus.

I wish I could sit in the blanket. Regulus said wistfully, rubbing his hands and sitting down in the space she made for him.

Yeah sure. Jenny said. But he shook his head. That would mean taking off my shoes.

Okay. Jenny said, putting the book down. Regulus noticed the cover.

I hope I didnt disturb you. He said.

Oh no. she said immediately. Infact, I was getting a little lonely.

You know what, He said suddenly, after a moments silence. I think I will.

Will what?

Take off my shoes. He said, bending immediately. Jenny laughed nervously; she had only asked him out of courtesy.

Oh, this is nice. He said, slipping his feet inside the blanket. Jenny laughed again, gathering her feet as far from him as possible.

So, um.. Jenny trailed away, trying to find a topic for discussion. The voice of the lunch lady sounded from outside.

Did you have lunch? He asked her, rubbing his hands together.

No, Im not hungry. He nodded, as if satisfied by her answer.

Arent you curios? He asked.

Curios about what?

About whether or not I made it to the Slytherin team?

Jenny racked her memory, wondering why he was suddenly talking about his quidditch tryout.

You dont remember. He said, shaking his head at her. I tried for a place in Slytherin quidditch team this summer.

So um, what happened? Jenny asked.

You dont know? He asked incredulously. Didnt you watch the last match between Slytherin and Gryffindor?

No, I was completing my homework then. Jenny said. And plus, it was too cold to venture out.

Your friend was playing against us. He said, shaking his head at her. When she looked confused, he added, Gemini. Hes your friend, right? He was playing; you shouldve come to the game atleast for him.

Jenny shrugged, My friends dont mind. They know me. But, anyway, why did you mention this match?

Because that was Slytherins first match this season. He said. And I wasnt in it.

Oh, Jenny said. He didnt get selected.

But Im the reserve seeker. He said proudly. As soon as Corbett leaves next year, Im joining the team.

Thats good. Jenny said.

There was silence for a few moments.

Hows Nicky? He asked, his tone joking.

Fine. Jenny said, smiling. The memory of Veronica punching Anthony was still vivid and very good.

That was some punch. He said, smiling. And then suddenly he remembered something. Hey, youd said that Nicky has a habit of punching people?

Its not a habit! Jenny said, as she laughed.

Okay, but, how many has she punched till today? He asked.

Um, I dont know. Jenny tried to remember. All she could remember was the Italian boy at Veronicas mums wedding, and then Anthony. Ive only seen two.

She knows how to deal with scumbags. He said, smiling. Then he looked around suddenly, as if looking for someone. Where is she?

Nick-Veronica? Jenny asked. He nodded.

She didnt come. Had to do a lot of homework.

Speaking of homework, she said. Hows Weenie?

Oh, Weenies fine. He frowned at her. But Im not.

Why? Jenny asked.

Because of his name. Why did you give him that stupid name? Now he responds to only that!

Thank God hes started responding! Jenny said. I told you giving him a name would help!

Its embarrassing. He said. Whenever he starts wailing, I have to repeat his name again and again till he shuts down, as you told me to-

And its working! Hes getting better! Hes recovering! Jenny said.

Thats fine, but people make fun of me. He said, looking embarrassed. They laugh.

Let them. Theyre stupid. It doesnt matter.

My brother mocked at me. Suddenly, Regulus was serious. And I dont like people mocking at me. Especially Sirius.

Jenny was tempted to say that who cares what Sirius does or thinks or reacts, but kept mum. Regulus suddenly looked angry. His anger intimidated her.

Were going to be there very soon. He said, checking the time in his watch. I should go, my friends would be wondering where I am.

As he got up, Jenny got up too, remembering that she had to change into the muggle attire her mother had sent her.

I have to change. She explained when Regulus looked at her questioningly.

Into some muggle dress? He asked. Then he added, without waiting for her reply. I never do that. His tone sounded proud.

As Jenny stooped and pushed her hands under her seat for her trunk, he scrambled into his shoes and stood up.

See you. He said, pushing his hands towards her. She got up awkwardly, a sweater in her right hand; she hastily shifted it to her left hand.

Merry Christmas. She said, smiling.

You too. He answered, shaking her hand. His hand was cold, stinging against Jennys warm palm.

Wish Weenie for me! Jenny said as he reached for the door. He laughed, and Jenny was relieved to hear it.

No questions. Her mother reminded her through her smile as she hugged her on the station.

I know. She said back, smiling just like her. And then her mother added, quite loudly, Oh, Ive missed you _so_ much! And hugged her again.

And then suddenly cameras were clicking. She looked to her side to see two muggle photographers clicking away madly at her mother and her.

Jenny was standing on the Kings Cross Station in the muggle dress her mother had sent her. It was, surprisingly, very easy to wear and warm and comfortable. When the Hogwarts Express had arrived at platform nine & three quarters, Jenny saw that her aunt and uncle were there to receive her, as promised by her mother. Tia had hugged her, given her new luggage (without any cage) that Jenny had to wheel behind her. Uncle Willy, kissing her on the cheek, transported her to a muggle train that came to life as soon as she sat down on a seat. Then he too, left with a loud crack.

The muggle train had arrived at Kings Cross within five minutes, not giving enough time to Jenny to wonder. As soon as the train stopped, a pair of hands pushed her and her fake luggage towards the door, as if eager to get her down as soon as possible. A group of girls around her age suddenly appeared outside her compartment and got down with her, all of them talking very loudly with chewing gum in their mouths. As soon as they had got down, they gathered their luggage and all of them, one by one, hugged Jenny as they departed. Jenny tried to put up an Ill miss you face like them rather than a surprised one. Jenny knew it was all part of the plan her mother had built, staging Jenny as a muggle girl.

And as soon as she was free, her mother was hugging her.

Well tell you as soon as were home. Her father mumbled into her hair. Jenny smiled at him as he let go of her, another camera clicked.

And then they marched out of the station. Many muggles wished her mother a good evening, a gaggle of girls looked at Jenny friendlily. Jenny did not know how to react, but she managed a small smile, as opposed to her mother, who was smiling at people in confidence, and even waving at them. And it was then that Jenny noticed what her mother was wearing.

She was wearing a dark blue coat, under it, a black knee length skirt that was clearly muggle; Jenny had never seen it before. Shiny black boots clicked in symmetry to her walk. Her father was wearing a long tweed coat, with a sweater inside and brown pants. Jenny and her father looked slightly dressed down infront of Fiona, who was wearing pearls around her throat, her shiny brown hair twisted into a bun.

Photograph clicking continued till they reached their car. Jenny was surprised to see it, it was not the car they had, and it was a muggle one, black and glossy, with a red light on its roof. Unexpectedly again, a man in a black suit was standing at the side of the car, he opened the door of the car as he saw Fiona. She sat down in the car and he clicked the door shut. Then he went to the other door and opened it for Jenny. Her father nudged her to move. As Jenny was sitting, the driver smiled at her, inclining his head at her slightly, wishing her. Her father slipped next to her and the door clicked shut again.

The windows were tinted black and the people outside could not see them, and by the time the chauffeur sat down in his seat, Fiona pressed her finger to her lips, indicating to Jenny that she should not ask any questions. Jenny noticed that her mother had painted her nails shiny red.

How have you been, sweetie? Fiona asked as soon as the chauffeur sat down.

F-fine, mother. Jenny said awkwardly, she did not know what her mother was expecting.

Fiona glanced at her husband and Jenny saw that she was irritated; her father leaned in towards her, giving her a kiss near her ear.

Mum, He whispered, then he drew back and then kissed her again. Dad.

Jenny got it. Her parents wanted her to call them Mum and Dad. She spoke to her father.

So Dad, She said. He smiled in return. How have you been? Hows yourwork? She was going to ask about his healership, but she could not.

Its fine, sweetheart. He said, smiling at her. But I sold my hospital.

You, sold, your. Jenny said, her eyebrows arching in confusion.

Hospital. Ned said. It was getting too much to handle for me. I sold it to a wealthy businessman; hes bringing it down to build a multiplex in its place. Now I have a clinic.

Jenny looked at her mother, her face blank with confusion. She noticed the driver looking at her from the rear view mirror.

Yes sweetie, Fiona said in a comforting voice. Its sad, the hospital you were born in is going to be brought down. Its sad, I know. But Daddy couldnt cope with the work, you know? It was getting too much-

I think she understands. Mr. Jones said suddenly. Then his voice got softer. Dont you, Sammy?

Jenny stared at her father. Since when did she become Sammy instead of Jenny? But she kept her mouth shut and very soon, they were home.

But home was not the home it used to be.

The whole place was white from the outside. Jenny could see a roof and lots of green. There was a garden in the front and a bigger garage adjacent to the house. Sprinklers were on in the garden, and a man was pruning the rose bushes. The path that led to the house was gravel, it crunched under the car. There were tall trees around the house, shielding it from the road that ran behind it.

Nice place. She said in a taunting way to her mother. Fiona smiled, her eyes telling Jenny to shut up. Jenny turned away to stare at the house, fuming. So, they changed the house, and they didnt tell her. Her mother is doing some sort of stupid job for the ministry of magic and for that, they all have to change. They had to change their house, they had to create fake identities, and they had to stage Jenny as a muggle girl. If she wouldve known all this, she wouldntve come home. Jenny suddenly wished she could Apparate.

They entered the house. The chauffeur was wheeling Jennys luggage behind them. Fionas heels clicked on the marble floor as she walked, leading the way. They arrived in a very well furnished living room, walking straight from the entrance. It was well furnished according to the muggles, but it looked odd from Jennys eyes.

Gwen! Her mother hollered, flopping down on a sofa, pointing at the chauffeur to deposit the luggage and leave. He pushed it in a corner and then left, bowing to Mrs. Jones first, and then Mr. Jones. Footsteps sounded on the gravel. Jenny started speaking as soon as they faded.

Mumma, what is this?

My job has changed. She said in reply.

Youre not an auror anymore? Jenny asked in surprise.

No, I am an auror, but I just dont work for the ministry of magic alone now.

What? Jenny asked in confusion.

Gwen! Her mother shouted again. Then she turned to Jenny. Ive joined the muggle ministry too.

Jenny stared at her mother. How can this happen?

The Dark Lord threatened the life of muggles again, and then a muggle minister was found murdered in his office during working hours. And Voila! She said, snapping her fingers. Im the Muggle ministers secretary.

Gwen! Her mother shouted again. Its not that bad. She said at the look on Jennys face.

Ned Jones looked at Jenny. Why dont you sit down first, Jenny?

Jenny looked at him. Jenny? Are you forgetting, Dad? Im Sammy!

He looked a little sheepish. Sorry about that. We had to do it, its all part of the plan-

Plan? Jenny repeated. What, now I have to change myself? For-for this? She waved a hand at her mother.

Mrs. Jones stared at her daughter. Since when did she become the one to throw tantrums?

Jenny, try and understand, please. Mr. Jones said. Your mother also had to change, we all had to-

Why didnt you tell me? Jenny said. I wouldve stayed at Hogwarts! I wouldntve come!

Thats why! Her mother said, zipping her boots open. You wouldntve come! And we had to have you here.

Why?!

Because you are part of the pla- Her mother started, but Jenny cut over her.

Oh please! Not The Plan again!

In the silence that followed, her parents stared at her as if she had gone mad.

Jenny, dear, are you okay? Her father asked her.

Yes! Courtesy, The Plan, Im just fine! Jenny said.

Mr. Jones glanced at Mrs. Jones. She was staring at Jenny. Then, she opened her mouth and shouted-Gwen!

Your reaction is very erratic, Jenny- She started.

What role do I have here? Jenny demanded. I mean, you have the job, not me! Then what am I doing here?

Mrs. Jones shut her mouth angrily and stared at Jenny. Mr. Jones hastened to speak.

See, Jenny, your mother has to build the support of the people shes supposedly working for-

Why? Jenny asked.

Because its a difficult job. And risky too-

Risky for the people? Jenny asked. Why? They dont know what we are, right?

Mrs. Jones snorted. No, She said, smiling at Jenny. These muggles do not know what we are.

Then what is the problem? Jenny asked.

Theres no problem. She said, sighing. Its just that, these muggles think Im doing a job for their Prime Minister and theyre spying on me, on the people I have in my life-

To make sure youre fine? Jenny asked, wondering aloud.

Yes. Theyre just making sure that I am what I am and not someone dangerous. That is what we do when appointing guards to the Minister for Magic.

There were a few minutes of silence. Then Mr. Jones spoke.

Its just a matter of one year, Jenny, and then your mother will resign-

Ill be _replaced_ within a year. Mrs. Jones said. But till then, my job is to protect the muggle minister. When Jenny said nothing, she spoke again.

Look, Jenny, everything had to change, its not just you.

Yeah, I noticed this place. Jenny muttered.

Mrs. Jones sighed. This is temporary. Our house is exactly the way it was. And it is exactly at the place where it belongs.

Just one year, Jenny. Then well all go back. Her father said gently.

You want to keep this a secret, right? Jenny asked. From the magical world?

I dont see how we can. Her mother said. With all these papers and interviews and the press. She trailed away looking at the table in the centre of the room. Jenny followed her gaze and saw a newspaper lying at the top with a headline **_JENNY SAYS SHE LIKES McENROE!_**

Mumma, Jenny said immediately. What is your name?

What? She asked.

What is your name as a muggle? Jenny asked. What is your name as this- this secretary person?

Oh. Fiona Jones cheeks went red. Um, Jennifer, Jennifer Carnegie.

By the time her mother had completed her sentence; Jenny had walked over to the table and picked the newspaper. It was the front page, and with a big square picture of her mother in a red dress, walking with a bald man. They were both smiling at each other.

What is this? Jenny asked.

I told you she would come to know. Mr. Jones said to his wife. He sounded uncomfortable.

This is you. Jenny turned to her mother and pointed at the still photograph. And what is this? She pointed at the headline.

Fiona Jones blushed. That is, just something, that the muggle media is expert at doing.

Jenny says she likes McEnroe. Jenny repeated the headline. How come you are Jenny and Im Sammy? And whos this McEnroe?

McEnroe is the prime minister. Her mother said, blushing. Mr. Jones cleared his throat. And Jennys the nickname given to me by the muggle media.

Why did you take my name? Jenny asked.

I told you, the media gave it to-

No. Jennifer. Thats my middle name. Why did you take it?

I just, that, that was the first name that came into my mind. Mrs. Jones said.

Jenny kept the paper back on the table, and sighed.

Do I have a room here? she asked.

Ofcourse, Jenny. Her father said immediately.

And its exactly the same, you wont know the difference. Gwen can you show you to your room, but where is she?

Suddenly, the double doors that led further into the house opened.

Now that you know everything, She said, waving at Jenny. I can finally come in.


	32. Chapter 32

**THE DANCE**

_Hi Jenny!_

_We are so missing you here. Everything is great. David, Tim, Sienna, and I play quidditch every evening. But not with real balls, Sienna bewitches balls to fly around. Tim and I had a pumpkin juice drinking match last night with Tim. I was going to win, (obviously) but David opened a cracker near my face making the last glass topple out of my hand-_

Your friends are stupid. Gwen observed.

Shut up, Jenny said.

It was a week after Jennys arrival at 12, SouthWalk Avenue, London, the house allotted by the government to the secretary of the prime minister. She was sitting in her room which was exactly the same as her former room was except the thing that the window opened on the left wall than on the right wall. Her seven year old sister Gwen sat behind her, enveloped by a thick quilt. Jenny had tried to throw her out of the room but suddenly, all her pillows were hitting her from all sides (the new trick learnt by Gwen. The day finally arrived when she could show it to Jenny. Well, not exactly show.) and Jenny had to give up.

_David Dear has just asked me to mention that he misses you a lot. And now hes making sure that I am doing that by standing behind me and reading what I have written. Sod off, David._

Oooh, whos David? Gwen asked interestedly.

Friend of a friend. Jenny replied immediately. She knew Gwen would be reporting this to her mother later.

Really? Gwen asked in a skeptic voice as she stood up on her knees behind Jenny to read the lower portion of the letter, making the quilt fall. I dont think hes just a friend of a friend.

Really? Jenny said, eyes on the letter. I didnt know you could think too.

Gwen ignored the jibe. She plopped down the bed to stand infront of Jenny.

I am going to tell mummy. She announced.

Big surprise. Jenny said. But what are you going to tell her? That I know somebody whos a friend of a friend?

No. Im going to tell her that you have a bo-oyfriend.

The sing-song word irritated Jenny. But she didnt react.

Careful, now. She said, calmly standing up, folding the letter into two. You dont want to be like this. They dont let your sort get in at Hogwarts.

This had the desired effect. Gwen flushed red, and she lost the lead of the fight.

What dyou mean, your sort? She asked. Why wont I get into Hogwarts? Im very good.

Thats what you think. Jenny said, calmly searching for a quill in her desk drawer.

But I **am** very good! Gwen exploded behind her. I can do all these tricks! That-that, pillow one! And that, ball one! And-and, and I know many more! I am very, very good at magic!

Thats right, Gwen, keep telling yourself that. Jenny said calmly and then strode out of the room. Behind her, Gwen burst into tears. Wailing loudly, she ran out of the room, overtaking Jenny, and locked herself in her room.

Jenny smiled to herself as she entered the kitchen. Atleast one thing was still the same.

It had been one week since she had come here, and Jenny couldnt wait to go back to Hogwarts. Each passing day seemed like punishment. Her mother used to leave the house everyday at 8O clock, her father would soon disappear after her, and Jenny would be left alone with her annoying sister and a bunch of servants.

Eldora, the servant who used to cook them their meals, was cutting some vegetables when Jenny entered the kitchen.

Goood Efternooon, miss. Said Eldora, inclining her head at Jenny.

Afternoon. Jenny said in a bored voice, opening the fridge. Eldora wished her whenever she saw her. Jenny tried to see her as less as possible, but whenever she went into the kitchen, Eldora was always there, cutting some vegetable, or cooking something.

Wood yoo want to eat something, miss? Eldora asked.

No, thank you. Jenny repeated the same answer she always gave her.

But yoo shood. Eldora said, her eyebrows creasing. Yoo deed not even has brakefast!

Jenny had had one spoon of the banana flavored cornflake in the morning, and had pushed the bowl away, disgusted with the taste and smell.

Yeah, I know. She said in a bored voice as she took out the ice-cream bowl.

Ice-creeem! Eldora exclaimed and then fixed her a stern gaze. Thees is deecember, miss-

Yeah, and todays my birthday. Jenny said, opening the lid with a spoon.

Reely! Eldora exclaimed and hopped off the stool she was sitting on. Oh then I must make cake! What flavor do you like-

Tell you what, Jenny said, irritated by her shrill voice. Why dont you make me my favorite dish. I dont like cakes much.

Offcourse! Offcourse! Eldora said, excitement visible in the eyes. Whatever yoo say, miss!

Fine, Jenny said. Then make me-W-Weed-stew.

Eldoras face fell slightly.

Weedstew? She asked uncertainly.

Yes. Galloping gargoyles! Havent you heard of it? Its the classic London dish.

No, I havent. Eldora said quietly with a puzzled expression on her face. How could you, Jenny thought, when I had not myself until now?

Is eet very poplar, miss? Eldora asked. Clearly, she was a migrant.

Not very among the masses. Jenny said. But I love it. As I told you, its a classic dish.

Ok, then I wont have any trouble in finding the ingredients. Eldora said, and immediately took off the apron she was wearing. Ill leave right now, you wood be wanting it by dinner.

Best of luck, Jenny muttered as she left the kitchen.

....

She was walking down a corridor. The corridor was not lit but strangely, Jenny could see every step that she was taking. She seemed to be in a hurry for some reason, and it became apparent why when her feet led her to a door and she opened it immediately without knocking. The door opened to a snow covered ground where some people were busy throwing snow-balls at each other.

Jenny! One of them yelled, waving his hand in the air at her. Jenny gave a cry of exult and shot forward yelling-Im coming, guys!

Suddenly, she could feel someone breathing on her face. Hot breath, smelling of chocolate. Jenny wrinkled her nose. Someone poked her.

Her eyes fluttered open to see Gwens face hovering above her.

What are you doing? Jenny yelled and pushed her back. Gwen giggled as Jenny sat up.

You were shouting, She said.

It was a happy shout. Jenny said, feeling irritated at Gwen for waking her up. She had felt really happy. Now she suddenly felt disappointed that it was a dream.

Jenny looked away, sighing, and her eyes landed on her table. It looked messed up.

What happened to my table? Jenny asked, getting up from the bed immediately. Gwen, she suddenly noticed, looked guilty.

Did you mess it up? Jenny said loudly, rounding on her.

No. Gwen answered defensively, hiding her hands behind her.

Yes you did! And what are you hiding? Jenny asked.

Nothing! Gwen said more defensively, hopping off the bed.

Come here! Jenny ordered. Gwen sprinted, Jenny lunged for her hand. She landed on the edge of the bed and slipped off. As she tried getting up, a pillow hit her on the face, making her fall back again.

Thats it! Jenny yelled loudly, and picked up her wand from her bed. Gwen squealed loudly and ran away. The other pillows which had been rising in the air fell limply.

Jenny ran after Gwen. From the back, she noticed some pale paper in Gwens hand: Veronicas letter.

Give it back! You sniveling little-

Daddy! Gwen squealed, running into the drawing room. Ned Jones was standing infront of the door-way looking apprehensive. Behind him, Jenny noticed, Mrs. Jones was sitting on a couch, pressing her foot with her hand, and wearing a slightly surprised look on her face.

Now you go running to daddy, huh? Jenny yelled after Gwen as she ran into the arms of Ned Jones.

Sam! He yelled reprovingly, shaking his head slightly.

Oh yes! Now Im Sam again-

She reached the doorway at this point and abruptly came to a halt, hastily hiding the wand in her hand behind her.

Eldora was standing infront of her mother, looking exhausted.

Miss! She exclaimed at her sight. I um so sorry, miss! I could not find the ingredients for weeedstew for your birthday today-

Birthday? Mrs. Jones repeated sharply.

Weedstew? Mr. Jones asked uncertainly.

Eldora looked confused. Yes, er, we-weeedstew, sir, for Mss birthday?

Mr. & Mrs. Jones turned to Jenny.

May I know whats going on? Mrs. Jones asked.

Jenny shrugged bad temperedly.

Youre excused, Eldora. Mrs. Jones said. No need to worry about dinner, dear. She added as Eldora opened her mouth. Ill take care of that today.

Eldora was looking anxious. I um so sorry, madam, that I could not find the ingredients for weed-

Never mind that, Mrs. Jones said, standing up to show her the door. Its good that you could not, Je-Sam is not supposed to be eating it.

Eldora shot Jenny a naughty girl! look as she was ushered out. Mrs. Jones shut the door loudly after her.

What the heck is Weedstew? She asked.

I dont know. You ask her. She was the one talking about it.

Mrs. Jones had started shaking her head before Jenny had finished.

Shes a migrant, Jenny. She would not know any muggle London dish. I know it was you who asked her to make that for you.

Jenny decided to ignore her mother. She rounded on Gwen.

What the hell were you doing, snooping in my room?

Dont speak like that to her, Jenny! Mrs. Jones said loudly.

I wasnt snooping around! Gwen said.

Then what were you doing-and give me back my letter! Jenny said, reaching for her arm. Gwen ran out of her way. Jenny threateningly raised her wand. Gwen squealed. Mr. Jones said-Hey!

Put that down Jenny! Mrs. Jones roared.

You tell her to return that letter-

Dont tell me what to do young lady-

I wouldnt need to, but you surprisingly dont seem to know that your daughter wants her privacy which this little _midget_-

Dont talk to your mother like that! Mr. Jones shouted.

I want my letter! Jenny shouted back at him. Why was she snooping around-

I asked her to get the letter! Mr. Jones shouted. And-stop-shouting!

A moments silence.

Jenny glared at her father.

Why? She asked.

Thats none of your business-

Its none of _your_ business to invade in my private-

Jenny, I am warning you- Mrs. Jones began.

Whyre you telling me off? Jenny said hotly. I have all the right to get angry-

No you dont miss! Not with your parents!

Then why are my parents snooping around, poking their nose in my business-

Mind your tongue! Mr. Jones said loudly.

URGH! Mrs. Jones startled everybody by letting out a strangled kind of cry. Then she regained composure or atleast, attempted to, and turned to her husband.

Lets get this over with. Why did you want that letter, Ned? She asked.

Mr. Jones seemed to deflate a little at this sudden spotlight on him. Well, he said, hesitating a little. Gwen mentioned something about a boy named David-

I dont believe it! Jenny cried in frustration.

Theyre children, Ned, for Merlins sake! Mrs. Jones said, sitting down in exasperation. What are you expecting from them? Theyre just thirteen!

I turn fourteen two days from tomorrow! And David is fifteen!

See! Mr. Jones said. You see, Fiona! You know how boys are when theyre fifteen and I wanted to see what it was all about-

Why? Jenny asked loudly. Why do you need to act so stupid about something-

Now youre seriously steeping out of line, Jenny! Mrs. Jones said warningly.

Veronica has a boyfriend! Jenny yelled. Sienna has a boyfriend! Hell, even that Torien Gemini has a boyfriend! Nobody interferes in their matters! But hey! My parents would go nuts if a boy even talks to me, or-or sends me a letter or-

So, he sends you letters? Mr. Jones said.

Jenny dear, only your fathers going nuts, not me.

Fiona! Mr. Jones rounded on her. I think I need a little support right now-

Mrs. Jones quelled him with a look.

There was a minutes silence.

I want my letter back. Jenny said quietly.

Gwen, give back the letter. And dont go snooping around in other peoples business, thats a very bad thing. Mrs. Jones said, immediately banking on the opportunity.

Daddy had asked me to do that! Gwen said in a small voice.

Never mind that, and-Jenny stay! Mrs. Jones said loudly as Jenny tried to exit the room. Stay for a minute.

What, now?

Get ready, we have to go-

Im not going anywhere!

Jenny, please, we have to, its a party-

I dont want to go any stupid muggle party!

Its not a muggle party! Mr. Jones interrupted loudly. Its a party being thrown by Bartemius Crouch! Hes the Head of Magical Law Enforcement of _our _ministry! So will you please calm down and go get ready now?

Why so grumpy? Aunty Tia asked Jenny, passing her a butterbeer bottle.

No particular reason. She answered.

Tia laughed. Come on, you can tell me. Im not your mother.

Just then, Mr. Jones passed them giving her a brief smile. His eyes trailed away from her to Jenny. She glared after him.

Or should I say, Im not your father. Tia amended.

Jenny looked away, a frown forming on her pretty face. Tia smiled, and then sat down in the seat next to hers.

She was at the party being thrown by Bartemius Crouch (Welcome to the celebration dinner. Mrs. Crouch had said when they had met her today.). What the occasion was she did not know, but her mother had said that it was a Christmas dinner. They had arrived at the party to find Aunty Tia standing alone in the far corner of the ballroom, drinking butterbeer and shooting furtive looks around. She had joined Jenny at her table, as Mr. Jones got engaged in talking to Mr. Fudge, while Gwen disappeared after her mother in the crowd.

Okay. If you dont want to tell me, fine. But dont forget, I also went through what you are going through.

What am I going through? Jenny asked sharply. She had been thinking about David, wondering whether he would have been here if he had come home for Christmas.

Well, you know, Tia said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Mainly, my brother getting angry at you at reasons ?

Jenny blushed red as if Aunty Tia had asked her directly about David. A giggle escaped Aunty Tias lips.

So I guess Im right then. She said.

Jenny looked away, refusing to comment. Tia nodded once. Okay, she said, taking a sip from her glass containing firewhisky. If you dont want, then Ill not ask. After all, who am I to pry..

Its not like that. Jenny said immediately.

Its okay, I understand. Aunty Tia said.

No you dont. Jenny said, looking at Barty Crouch Jr. dancing with his mother. Her eyes traveled away, and she found a pair of handsome grey eyes looking in her direction. It took her a moment to realize that Sirius Black was staring at her. Her heartbeat increased in anxiety. Whys he looking at me? She turned away immediately.

Oh great. Aunty Tia said. The worlds most fanciable man has arrived.

Jenny looked up to see her uncle William enter the ballroom, a gaggle of beautiful girls around him. He was smiling, and Jenny noticed, that the way he charmed her he used to charm others too. It reflected in the women that stood surrounding him, batting their eyelids. Aunty Tia, Jenny noticed, had started rapping her nails on the shiny surface of the table. She was gulping her drink; her eyes were on the entrance.

Will saw them and smiled, and weaving his way through his crowd of admirers, started walking towards them.

Oh wow, the worlds most fanciable man is approaching us. Aunty Tia said through gritted teeth. Jenny glanced at her, she looked slightly angry.

Hello. Will said as he reached them.

Jenny smiled in response, Tia said nothing.

Hmm, lovely song. He commented, as a new, slow song by Celestina Warbeck started. Now I need a beautiful lady to dance with. He said.

In your dreams! Aunty Tia said, and stood up. Jenny stared at her, surprised at her reaction.

But I did not mean you, Hestia. William said, smiling. Not that youre not beautiful, His smile widened at the color that rose in Tias cheeks. but youre not the only one. He said, offering his hand to Jenny.

She took it, surprised, and stood up as he started to lead her away towards the dance floor. She turned and looked back; Aunty Tia was still standing, looking angry at herself.

Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. He said as they reached the dance floor.

William, William, William. Jenny said, imitating his manner. He laughed and put his hand on her waist.

Which year are you in now? He asked, as they started to move lightly on the spot.

Third, but Im turning fourteen two days from tomorrow. He laughed again.

What would you like to have on your birthday, then? He asked.

Visit me. Jenny said, looking earnestly in her uncles face. Come at home. I really want to see somebody other than Gwen and Eldora that day. She looked up again, expecting him to be confused at the name Eldora, but he was not paying attention. Jenny followed his gaze and found that Aunty Tia had also just joined the dance floor with a raven haired boy, with a jolt, she realized it was Sirius Black.

So, Uncle Will claimed her attention back to him. You dont have a boyfriend, do you?

What makes you say that? Jenny asked wearily.

Because of the way youre holding yourself. He said at the detached, aloof kind of way she was dancing with him. Or you dont know how to dance.

Both. Jenny said. I dont have a boyfriend, and I also dont know how to dance.

So let me teach you how. He said, and pulled her towards him. First, he said, You need to have good dance music. For this type of song, you need to keep your hand here, He took her right palm and kept it at his shoulder. Ill take your other hand in mine, and we need to stand, a little more, close. He said. Jenny took a step forward, still keeping her shoulders stiff, and her back straight as a board. Uncle Will raised his eyebrows.

I dont have spattergoit, you know. He said.

Jenny nudged forwards a little, her uncle smiled in encouragement. Good. Now, dont keep your arm so heavily, make it light, a little stiff..

Where did you learn to dance like this? Jenny asked.

Oh, your aunt taught me. He said lightly.

Jenny opened her mouth to ask, surprised, When? but closed it, remembering that her uncle Will had once dated her aunt. And seeing the way Aunt Tia was about it, he also probably wouldnt want to talk about it.

She didnt learn it from somebody. He said. It came naturally to her, like all the other brilliant things.

Jenny followed his gaze. Tia was no longer staring at them, instead, she was dancing, and happily it seemed, with Sirius Black. As usual, he mustve cracked some joke, making her laugh, as he usually did. Was that why so many girls had a crush on him? No, most of the girls fell for his handsome face, his grey eyes, so much like his brother.

Yes! If Sirius was there, then Regulus would be here too! Jenny immediately looked around, searching for his face.

What happened? Uncle Will asked.

Oh, nothing. I just realized that one of my friends might be here too.

I think I know who youre looking for. He said, nodding in the other direction. Jenny looked, and there he was, coming towards her, weaving his way through the people dancing.

Hi. Jenny said happily as he reached them.

Hi. He replied, and then he looked at Will. Will assumed that he wanted him to step away. Oh yeah, sure. He said, and to Jennys sudden embarrassment, gave her hand to Regulus, who took it quite promptly. And then, winking, Will left.

Who was that? Regulus asked as soon as Will was out of ear-shot.

My uncle. Jenny replied, already starting to feel uncomfortable. Regulus, on the other hand, was not feeling uncomfortable at all. He immediately kept his hand on her waist and tried to draw her towards himself, just like uncle Will, but Jenny resisted. Regulus raised his eyebrow in question.

I, like it this way. She said.

OK, He said, and then stared right ahead. Jenny felt that she had hurt his feelings. She hastened to start a conversation with him.

Hows your homework coming along?

Bad. He said, grimacing. Half the time I dont know what more to write in that pathetic subject, Transfiguration. I mean, how can she expect from us to write a five inch essay on that stupid spell-Verravereto?

I like that subject. Jenny said.

Im not surprised. He said, and started speaking again before she could. youd be pleased to hear this, that vundo herb has healed completely.

Oh good. She said. Now itll be all silent, no? You know, I wanted vundo last year, but Madam Pomfrey said that there wasnt any vundo for me to heal-

Hell-lo, Samantha,

She turned, and saw Barty Jr.

Hello yourself. She said turning back to Regulus.

Hell-lo, Regulus, Barty said. Regulus nodded.

Dyou mind, if I cut in? Barty asked him. Before he could answer, Jenny did.

Yes, She said.

Ooh, blunt, arent we? He said.

Get lost, Barty. Jenny said.

Regulus was staring at her in surprise. Jenny looked away trying to ignore Barty Crouch Jr.

You change preferences very fast. He said, going around them to come into her focus.

What dyou mean? She asked. He was starting to get on her nerves.

That day, it was that David, now its-

What day? Regulus interrupted. Barty smiled. That day, He said, the words having a taunting effect on Jennys ears. The day of Slughorns party. And now she seems to have chosen-

Hello, kids.

They turned. Mr. Jones was standing there among the crowd of couples dancing on the dance floor. Behind him, Jenny noticed Aunt Tia and Sirius, both swaying on the same spot, both looking in their direction.

Is something wrong? He asked. For a moment Jenny thought that he had noticed her scowling at Barty and had come to intrude, but then she understood that he was asking from the look on their faces as they saw him.

No, sir. Regulus said, giving him a half smile; Jenny smiled, she had seen this smile after a long time.

Mr. Jones nodded. Im sorry, He said to Regulus. But were leaving now, so

Oh yes, sure, Regulus said, and immediately took off his hands from her waist. Mr. Jones nodded to both the boys once. Jenny smiled at Regulus as she followed after him.


End file.
